The Global Citizen's Forum (GCF) Replication Framework

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Document Title: The Global Citizen’s Forum (GCF) Replication Framework Author(s): Analytic Services Inc. (ANSER) Document Number: 256023 Date Received: January 2021 Award Number: 2016-ZA-BX-K003

This resource has not been published by the U.S. Department of Justice. This resource is being made publically available through the Office of Justice Programs’ National Criminal Justice Reference Service.

Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

The Global Citizen’s Forum (GCF) Replication Framework

December 2019

This Framework is designed to provide a guide to replicating the Global Citizen’s Forum (GCF) afterschool program.1 In addition to implementation information, the GCF Framework provides a methodology, and associated tools, for evaluating the effectiveness of the program.

The GCF Framework was developed based on insights gained from an NIJ-sponsored implementation and evaluation of the GCF program in 2019 in two high schools in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

GCF Curriculum Overview

GCF is a positive youth development (PYD) program designed to improve its participants’ help-seeking behaviors to overcome challenges they may experience in their lives. The curriculum has a core focus on preventing destructive and violent behaviors, and draws from good practices in the fields of PYD programming2 to provide young people with the skills (e.g., competence, confidence, connection, character, and caring) to address a range of challenges, including:

• Cyber Threats: cyberbullying, online predators, and cyber crisis (e.g., calls for help or broadcasting intent to engage in violent or destructive behavior) • Personal Crisis: self-harm, suicidal ideation, depression, and anxiety • Peer Issues: bullying, teen dating violence, gun violence, and fighting • Group Recruitment: nationalist/supremacist groups, traditional and ideologically motivated gangs, issue-based extremists, anti-state sovereign citizens, and ISIS or al-Qaeda inspired groups

While various topics can be included in each implementation, it is important to highlight that GCF was created in response to a perceived need for a youth peer gatekeeper program focused on violent extremism. Thus far, the implementations of GCF have kept this focus, with two modules solely focused on extremism and the introduction of related terms (e.g., radicalization, grooming) throughout the curriculum. The other subjects covered in GCF (e.g., community, culture, hate speech, ideology) offer building blocks to support participant understanding of extremism and serve as gateway topics to help participants develop the requisite skills (e.g., recognition, confidence, advocacy) to seek help in various situations (e.g., crisis, cyberbullying, and anxiety).

A central message in GCF is encouraging the students to become upstanders rather than bystanders. An upstander is an individual willing to take a stand for a positive change, including helping their peers receive help from a trusted adult. Conversely, a bystander is an individual who is hesitant to seek assistance or prevent a negative or destructive act. GCF teaches students to cultivate empathy, manage

1 GCF was developed by World Organization for Resource Development and Education (WORDE) in response to an NIJ-funded research (Williams, Horgan, and Evans 2016) that indicated a peer gatekeeping program would be a promising tool to address violent extremism (VE) among youth. 2 Positive youth development is defined as an intentional, prosocial approach that engages youth within their communities, schools, organizations, peer groups, and families in a manner that is productive and constructive. This approach recognizes, utilizes, and enhances young people’s strengths and promotes positive outcomes. This is achieved by providing opportunities, fostering positive relationships, and creating the support needed to build on their leadership strengths. Source: “Positive Youth Development” http://youth.gov/youth-topics/positive-youth- development. Accessed June 26, 2019.

The basic GCF curriculum consists of 8 lessons, each approximately 90 minutes in length. The curriculum is comprised of group activities and discussion questions for facilitators, and is focused heavily on student participation. The content of each lesson builds upon the previous lesson.

GCF Stakeholders

The GCF curriculum was originally intended, and has only been implemented, as an after-school program. Given the structure of the curriculum, it could also be implemented within a classroom setting (e.g., civics class) or even as a component of a larger youth program. With the range of possible implementation options, there is also a wide spectrum of implementers and/or program sponsors, including schools/school districts, local community service providers, sports-based organizations, and religious organizations.

The curriculum is geared toward youth at the high school level, ages 14 to 17. While some of the topics could be adapted for a younger audience (i.e., middle school), the issue areas addressed in the basic curriculum (i.e., teen dating and ideologically based violence) mostly require a more mature participant.

Teaching Objectives

The GCF curriculum has the following teaching objectives:

• Increase participant knowledge and awareness of destructive and violent behaviors and related risks. • Increase participant skills and positive attitude for vicarious help-seeking behaviors. • Increase participant understanding of how to be an upstander— a responsible member of their immediate social network and the broader global community.

How To Use This Framework

This Framework is divided into two sections: (1) GCF Replication and (2) GCF Evaluation. The GCF Replication section walks a potential GCF implementer through the steps necessary to run a GCF program in their community. The components of this section include:

1. Deciding To Implement GCF 2. Initial Planning 3. Adapting the Curriculum 4. Participant Recruitment 5. Facilitator Preparation 6. GCF Implementation For each step, the Framework provides a description, key activities, implementation resources required and considerations for completion.

The GCF Evaluation section provides high-level instructions on how to conduct an evaluation of future implementations of the GCF program. This section is divided into the following components:

1. IRB Preparation

GCF Replication

1. Deciding To Implement GCF

As stated above, GCF has the potential to be implemented in various venues, including the school setting, or as part of a broader youth development program sponsored by a community service provider outside of an academic institution. This Framework primarily focuses on an implementation at a school, but most of this information can also be applied in other settings. It is important to note that GCF is a program that requires additional evaluation to further the research on the effectiveness of a youth peer gatekeeper program for countering violent extremism. As such, there are several factors to consider when deciding to implement and evaluate GCF.

Reasons To Implement GCF

GCF was designed as a peer gatekeeper training for high school–aged youth. GCF aims to improve teen awareness of a range of challenges to their well-being (e.g., gangs, extremism, cyberbullying, and sexual predators) and the associated help-seeking practices. GCF addresses these challenges within a wider positive youth development context that supports skills for cross-cultural communication, advocacy, a sense of agency, and, more broadly, being a responsible community member.

Traditionally, the term “gatekeeper” is often reserved for teachers, physicians, or other specialists who are in a position to detect problems in individuals deemed at risk of engaging in a given undesirable behavior and make referrals to resources that might deter the negative behavior in question.3 The concept of “peer gatekeepers” refers to those individuals in someone’s direct social circle and can include friends, classmates, teammates, or coworkers. Not only will peers be most likely to notice signs of potential problems, but research indicates that individuals are more likely to confide in their peers.4 For example, in the context of suicide prevention, it has been found that friends, rather than teachers or other professionals, may be best suited to act as gatekeepers.5 Peer gatekeeper programs have been previously implemented in a variety of public health initiatives. Most prevalent among these is suicide

3 Michael J. Williams, John G. Horgan, and William P. Evans, “The Critical Role of Friends in Networks for Countering Violent Extremism: Toward a Theory of Vicarious Help-Seeking,” Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression 8, no. 1 (2015): 45–65. 4 John Kalafat and Maurice Elias, “An Evaluation of a School-Based Suicide Awareness Intervention,” Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior 24, no. 3 (Fall 1994): 224–33. 5 Michael Isaac, Brenda Elias, Laurence Y. Katz, Shay-Lee Belik, Frank P. Deane, Murray W. Enns, and Jitender Sareen, Canadian Journal of Psychiatry-Revue Canadienne de Psychiatrie 54, no. 4, 260–68, http://ro.uow.edu.au/hbspapers/229/. Accessed December 4, 2019.

When deciding to implement GCF in a given location, it might be important to emphasize the following intended benefits7 of the program for participants:

• Increased knowledge and awareness of potentially destructive or violent behaviors and related risks • Increased help-seeking and peer mentoring skills for dealing with crisis situations • Increased understanding of how to be a responsible community member • Service hours toward school requirements • A positive resume item for college, internships, and/or job applications Violent Extremism Context

Violent extremism is ideologically motivated violence that furthers social, political, or economic goals. It is a complex and sensitive topic. Discussions of violent extremism touch on topics such as race, religion, extremist ideology, and freedom of speech. Any program whose aim is to counter violent extremism should approach the topic in such a way as to not vilify a given group within a community or create a dynamic where distrust between legitimate law enforcement or government organizations and the local community is furthered. One of the goals of the GCF program is to increase the knowledge and awareness of participants of the nature of violent extremism. Specifically, the GCF curriculum discusses examples of violent extremist groups and the definitions of related concepts such as violent extremism, grooming, recruitment, radicalization, and mobilization. It also discusses the factors that may make a young person vulnerable to recruitment to violent extremism.

It is, however, especially important to emphasize that there is no scientifically based set of factors that predispose an individual to engage in violent extremist behavior. Radicalization is a multifaceted, nonlinear process and often entails overlapping potential factors that contribute to one’s tendencies toward violence. As part of the gatekeeper or “upstander” aspect of addressing violent extremism, the GCF curriculum reminds participants that increased religiosity/spirituality and/or political activism are not signs of mobilization to violence. The only guidance provided to GCF participants is that they should consider contacting a trusted adult in cases where an individual is strongly demonstrating potential engagement in violence, such as posting intentions to commit a violent act online.

Critical Considerations in Implementing GCF

There are two critical issues that practitioners should be aware of when deciding to implement GCF. First, a previous NIJ-funded evaluation study (which is the source of this Framework) did not reliably and conclusively determine whether the GCF program was an effective peer gatekeeping program, due to significant implementation challenges encountered and the resulting design problems (i.e., small study sample and small and nonrandom control group). As such, until a large N study establishes the GCF

6 Gould, Madelyn S., Drew M. Velting, and David Shaffer, “Youth Suicide Risk and Preventive Interventions: A Review of the Past 10 Years,” Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 42, no. 4 (April 2003): 386–405. 7 Since the GCF program has not been conclusively evaluated for its effectiveness yet, substantive benefits listed should not be taken or conveyed as proven benefits.

Second, although the GCF program was designed as a gatekeeper program, the previous NIJ-funded evaluation study noted some limitations in this program’s curriculum in conjunction with its focus on gatekeeping in the context of violent extremism. A comprehensive gatekeeper program is typically required to enhance participants’ knowledge of a problem, and attitudes and skills for gatekeeping practices in the context of that problem. The latter includes recognition of warning signs and seeking help from a trusted resource. However, as discussed above, violent extremism is a complex topic and lacks a standard set of clear indicators for radicalization established by evidence-based research. As such, implementers who are interested in GCF mainly as a peer gatekeeper program should note that the GCF curriculum falls short of providing concrete guidance to participants on concerning signs.

2. Initial Planning

If the GCF is going to be implemented in a school setting by an organization outside of the school, initial planning and coordination are imperative for success and should begin as far in advance as possible. This includes making sure that school administration understands the GCF curriculum and the assistance needed from the school, including support for participant recruitment, scheduling of sessions, and other logistical support, such as classroom availability and audiovisual equipment. This coordination is even more important if the implementation also includes an evaluation component.

Key Activities • Identify the key school staff members that will be involved in GCF implementation decision-making. • Communicate with appropriate school personnel about the GCF curriculum and the topics that will be covered. • Determine when the GCF will be taught and document it on the school’s official calendar. • Identify suitable location(s) on the campus for GCF sessions. • Coordinate with the school personnel about possible participant recruitment methods, platforms, and activities. • Determine date(s) to coordinate with key school administrators and staff members about GCF curriculum adaptation for their school. • Determine program budget to include personnel salary, printing costs, and snack/drink budget.

If this implementation also includes an evaluation: • Develop Study Protocol document to include the following sections: o Introduction o Participant Selection Process o Study Design/Methods/Procedures o Risk and Benefit Analysis o Participant Recruitment and Informed Consent o Supplementary Information

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. • Include Independent Review Board (IRB) preparation in schedule and budget planning. • Coordinate and gain approval with appropriate school system entities, such as the Research and Evaluation Office. • Communicate with school personnel the evaluation design and explain key analytic aspects (sample size, pre- and post-testing, IRB certification, consent forms, etc.). • Communicate to the school the number of participants needed for desired sample size. • Communicate the importance of properly completed consent forms. • Build into the implementation schedule adequate time for pre- and post-testing and determine dates for any focus group sessions. • Determine and build into the implementation budget cost of incentive payments to participants (suggested rates for incentive payments: $5 to treatment group participants per session, $10 to control group participants per survey, $10 for focus group participants). Considerations • Efforts to identify key school personnel should consider school administrators, counselors, athletic coaches, student leaders, and teachers in relevant subject areas. • Having GCF Champions within the school is essential for broad participation. • Start coordinating with the school as soon as possible and take into consideration important dates within the school calendar (e.g., breaks, exams, field trips, standardized testing, and sporting events) when trying to coordinate meeting dates. • When discussing GCF with school personnel, be prepared to discuss the curriculum in depth and have materials on hand that can help explain any challenging topics (e.g., violent extremism, upstander/bystander concepts). • When discussing GCF, highlight the potential positive benefits of the program for not only the student body but also the entire school community. • When scheduling GCF implementation, take into account school calendar conflicts and consider timing that limits conflicts with other student activities (e.g., breaks, exams, field trips, standardized testing, and sporting events). Also, consider different options for scheduling sessions to accommodate the most students: o Multiple times a week for fewer weeks o Once a week for multiple weeks o Instruction during school hours o Combining lessons into one or two weekend sessions • If GCF is implemented as an after-school program, make sure the school has a policy for student transportation home outside of

GCF Cost Planning

Table 1 presents key expense categories and estimated units required to deliver GCF program in a single school setting as defined from the perspective of a community service provider organization. Some expense categories are assumed to be charge-free based on the assumption that the implementing organization will be offered to utilize the partner school’s facilities and equipment. If this assumption is not true, related costs should be added to calculations to finalize a realistic GCF implementation budget. Accordingly, the total estimated cost of implementation is $12,105.55. The most expensive cost category was “Personnel,” which accounted for 92% of the total cost followed by “Sessions Snacks,” which accounted for almost 4% of the total cost.

It must be noted that this financial cost analysis is based on insights gained from an NIJ-sponsored implementation of the GCF program in 2019 in two high schools in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Implementing GCF in different contexts and school settings may warrant additional cost categories. As such, the estimate presented in Table 1 should only be taken as a starting point. The GCF budget should be finalized after careful consideration of potential other expense categories and needs in a particular

Table 1: Estimated Cost to GCF Implementers Categories Cost Type Quantity Unit Cost Total Cost Personnel Service Providers (hours) 355 $31.41 $11,150.55 Recruitment Event Snacks - - $150 Recruitment Materials Recruitment Design & Printing (posters/fliers) - - $250 Room & Maintenance - - $0 Equipment (e.g., computer, projector and cables) - - $0 Training Session Snacks 15 person/8 sessions $4 per person/per session $480 Training Materials (e.g., pen, paper and certificates) 15 person/per training $5 per person/per training $75 Transportation - - $0 Total Training Cost $12,105.55 Notes: (1) The “Service Providers” category captures multiple roles that staff within a community service provider organization will assume as part of GCF implementation such as program consultant, financial manager, coordinator and facilitator/instructor. Hours reflect aggregate level of effort required. (2) Community Service Provider hourly rate is based on 2018 median salaries as reported by Occupational Outlook Handbook, Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor - https://www.bls.gov/ooh/home.htm. (3) To calculate cost, multiply unit cost by quantity. (4) The cost of training space and maintenance, equipment and transportation are assessed to be zero as training implementation is assumed to utilize facilities and equipment available within a school setting. Cost estimate should be updated if this assumption is not accurate. (5) Training is assumed to take place in one school site with 15 students’ participation in each session. If there are multiple sessions or school sites, estimate is to be adjusted based on implications for referenced cost categories. (6) This cost estimate is developed based on a previous pilot implementation experience and efficiencies gained during that process. (7) This estimate does not include cost of evaluation-related activities (e.g., data collection and analysis, and incentive payments to students).

3. Adapting the Curriculum

While the overall learning objectives and outline of the GCF should remain standardized, activities and examples may be modified to address different learning styles, developmental levels, topical interests, and current events. Where possible, facilitators should tailor activities to current events and the local context (e.g., demographics, drivers of conflict, and sociopolitical environment) and be mindful of community- or school-specific dynamics. Sections recommended for customization are noted within the GCF curriculum.

As stated in Section 2. Initial Planning, time should be scheduled for working with key stakeholders in the school or community who can help determine how GCF can be tailored to meet their specific needs. The following table offers information and questions to consider when facilitating the customization process.

Cultural Considerations and • What are the different cultural groups that comprise your Outreach community population? • What tensions and partnerships exist within the community? • Are there cultural barriers that your population may have in participating in PYD programming? • What cultural concerns does your population have that may impact PYD services (e.g., stigma of being seen as a “snitch,” mistrust of law enforcement, etc.)? • What barriers exist for your population in accessing PYD services (e.g., economic issues, logistics, perceptions, etc.)? • What are some potential incentives that may appeal to your community? • What are some of the competing priorities for local youth (e.g., employment, other programs and sport clubs)? Individual Strengths and • What are some of the skills and interests of youth in your Stressors community population (e.g., spoken word, poetry, sports, academics, etc.)? • The Search Institute has identified 40 developmental assets that contribute to positive youth development. The list can be accessed at http://www.search-institute.org/content/40- developmental-assets-adolescents-ages-12-18. • What assets do youth in your community generally have? • What assets do youth in your community generally lack? • Identify three main psychosocial concerns you generally see in your community. • What else is important for someone to know regarding the individuals in your community? Community Strengths and • Your community’s environmental context can confer various Stressors strengths and stressors on youth. For each of the following environmental aspects, provide a description of the context,

4. Participant Recruitment

Young people today have multiple demands on their time, including academics, athletics, employment, family commitments, and social activities. PYD programming such as GCF has to compete with these activities. In order to meet the desired number of GCF participants, implementers should take advantage of multiple methods of reaching participants and gaining their participation. All methods should emphasize potential benefits to students and also consider any material incentives (e.g., snacks and incentive payments in the form of gift cards) that may help in participant recruitment efforts.

Key Activities • Determine budget for recruitment activities (e.g., print costs and incentive payment if there is an evaluation component in implementation). • Determine due date for sign-up and/or consent form submission. • Coordinate with school personnel on the best methods for spreading the word about GCF among students and parents. • Work with identified GCF Champions to spread the word (e.g., coaches, counselors, student leaders, after-school coordinators). • Ensure school personnel advocating to and/or recruiting participants can speak confidently and clearly about GCF.

If this implementation also includes an evaluation: • Include information about the evaluation in all recruitment materials. • Develop an IRB-approved consent/assent form. • Be prepared to answer questions about the evaluation and any aspects of the consent process/forms. Considerations • Make sure your recruitment goals have built-in cushion for participant attrition. • Parental support, if possible, is a strong motivator for getting students to sign up for GCF. • Student leaders (e.g., presidents of clubs and honor societies, sports team captains, and student government officials) can be key allies in garnering their peers’ participation. • Student participation often includes external motivations, such as incentives (e.g., food and gift cards), extra academic credit, service hour requirements, or positive peer/social pressures. • Flyers and posters should be designed to catch the attention of students. Consider adding a “tag line” along with the GCF title that might grab student attention or personalize the program for the school community (e.g., use the school mascot name or a common catch phrase among the students).

5. Facilitator Preparation

Facilitator Prerequisites

GCF facilitators play the most important role for GCF’s effectiveness as a PYD program. The strength of the curriculum can only be achieved if the facilitator has an in-depth understanding of the concepts presented in the GCF curriculum and the ability to steer student participation through positive discussions and interactive exercises. While there are no specific requirements for this role, the following prerequisites should be considered:

Given the comprehensive nature of the above list, implementers should consider using a team of facilitators when teaching GCF who can cover as many of these characteristics as possible and be the most effective. At a minimum, the facilitator team should have an individual who has the ability to read and understand complex concepts as presented both in the actual GCF curriculum (Appendix A) and the Train-the Trainer presentation (Appendix B) and confidently convey that knowledge at the appropriate developmental level for the participants.

Facilitator Preparation Considerations

The GCF curriculum cannot be easily picked up and taught. In particular, the lessons on violent extremism require study in order to have the understanding to accurately convey the information and answer participants’ questions. Each lesson is also ambitious in both content and activities, so a thorough understanding of each lesson and its objectives and activities is essential.

The original GCF curriculum developers created a “Train-the-Trainer” presentation that provides background information to further understand GCF content. This presentation can be found in Appendix B in addition to other supplementary information that can increase a facilitator’s understanding of GCF concepts and terms.

During actual implementation, facilitators are encouraged to review each lesson’s content and activities prior to the module. Each lesson will require approximately an hour of preparation time to adapt hands-on activities and discussion questions, familiarize with learning objectives, and gather any necessary materials (e.g., website links to relevant current topics and videos).

How To Use the Curriculum

The curriculum (see Appendix A) includes a Facilitator’s Guide and a PowerPoint presentation for each lesson. Within the Facilitator Guide, every lesson follows a recommended format, including:

• Brief introductory note for facilitators • Lesson outline • Learning objectives • Key terms (with definitions) • Facilitator preparation items • Materials required for the lesson • Additional resources Within the curriculum, some sections are highlighted for facilitator attention using intuitive icons. These include:

Facilitation Tips

GCF success depends on creating an environment where participants feel comfortable to share their personal thoughts and experiences and engage in activities that may be outside their comfort zone. When facilitating GCF discussions and activities, there are a variety of micro-skills and intervention techniques that facilitators can use to have more effective sessions. These are particularly important when participation is limited, difficult or sensitive topics are being covered, or there is discord among the cohort. Specific techniques and recommendations include:

• Use open-ended questions to encourage discussion. • Use attending skills such as “active listening” to keep participants engaged. Along these lines, facilitators can paraphrase, reflect, clarify, or summarize participant answers to demonstrate to the students that they are listening and keep the discussion on topic. • Facilitators can foster group cohesion and connection by relating different participants’ comments and thoughts to each other. • When a student shares a personnel story, validate their experience by offering empathy through questions, reflections, and predictive statements. • To promote group cohesion, allow participants to attempt to solve problems first rather than intervening too early. • Be cognizant of time and use focusing or redirecting statements to keep the lesson on track and to ensure you can achieve the lesson objectives. • If a participant engages you in confrontation, address the matter in a non-defensive and nonjudgmental manner. • During discussion or scenario activities when no one is talking, consider telling jokes, calling on participants to offer their thoughts/ideas, or waiting—awkward silences seem more awkward to facilitators than kids. • If/when a participant shares sensitive information (e.g., mental health issues and bullying): (1) acknowledge the student (i.e., thank you for sharing), (2) validate their experience (i.e., that must have been difficult), and (3) do not minimize, invalidate, or ignore.

6. GCF Implementation

Like any PYD program, implementing GCF requires keeping track of lots of moving pieces. As such, regular coordination with the school personnel is important.

Key Activities Prior to the start date: • Collect properly completed sign-up or consent forms and create official cohort list with names and email addresses. • Confirm with school the implementation dates, time, and location for the GCF. • Confirm audiovisual requirements. • Email students start date and location of training. • Finalize snack/drink budget and make plans for buying items. • Confirm participant transportation needs with the school.

Prior to each session: • Facilitator(s) should review lesson plan to include slides, activities, materials needed, key terms, and learning objectives. • Print any materials, if needed. • Gather any items needed for the session, including paper and writing utensils. • Purchase snack and drink items. • Arrive to each session at least 15–30 minutes early for preparation (e.g., setting up the audiovisual connection), if possible. • Prepare room: (1) arrange desks/chairs if necessary, (2) set up food, and (3) set up audiovisuals. Considerations • When initially emailing participants, include positive language about the program and remind the participants of the intended benefits of participation. Also, ask participants to respond to the email to confirm participation. • Prior to the first session, confirm that all participants have properly filled out sign-up or consent forms. • Teenagers greatly appreciate the snacks provided after a long day of school. Consider providing pizza in addition to plenty of drinks for the group. If providing pizza, remember to also bring plates and napkins. • Just in case audiovisual support fails (i.e., smartboard doesn’t work or internet connection is lost), make sure you have a back-up plan for those exercises that require audiovisual support.

GCF Evaluation

Background

The evaluation portion of this Framework is based on insights gained during a research study that was funded by a 2016 National Institute of Justice grant.8 This research study aimed to contribute to the broader knowledge and practice pertaining to effective programming in the field of violent extremism prevention by implementing and evaluating the GCF program. Accordingly, the purpose of the study was to:

1. Evaluate the GCF program to determine whether it is an effective youth violent extremism prevention gatekeeper training. 2. Develop a replication and evaluation framework for consistent replication and evaluation of the GCF program elsewhere.

Traditional peer gatekeeping programs aim to (1) improve participants’ awareness and understanding of a problem and (2) build capacity of participants to identify (and in some programs engage) individuals experiencing crisis and seek help vicariously. A replication study should build on the established research and practice associated with peer gatekeeping theory and related programs and assess GCF training’s impact on participants’ knowledge of VE and related issues, as well as attitudes and skills (gatekeeper efficacy) pertaining to vicarious help-seeking.

Although behavioral change as it relates to actual help-seeking is a potential longer-term outcome of GCF, and in general other peer gatekeeper programs, the aforementioned NIJ-funded study did not assess changes in actual help-seeking practices and behaviors due to time and resource limitations. As such, this Framework only offers information pertaining to short-term impact evaluation. If evaluation effort will include long-term behavioral impact assessment, the reference survey instrument included in this Framework (Appendix C) 9 needs to be expanded to cover questions addressing related issues.

8 This section of the Framework closely follows the evaluation design used by the NIJ-funded study that produced this Framework. If future implementers desire to engage in a different and more comprehensive (e.g., short- and long-term impact assessment) evaluation effort, the evaluation plan needs to be updated. 9 This survey instrument follows established elements of a gatekeeper training evaluation and draws largely upon instruments used by others to evaluate gatekeeper training programs in other areas (Organizational Research Services 2002; Wyman et al. 2008; Tompkins and Witt 2009).

A GCF (short-term impact) evaluation should test the following hypotheses:

1. GCF training will improve participants’ knowledge of VE. 2. GCF training will improve skills (gatekeeping efficacy) and positive attitude for vicarious help- seeking in VE context.

Study Design

Following a quasi-experimental design, the GCF program implementers can divide the recruited sample of youth into treatment and comparison groups using stratified random sampling based on demographic attributes aligned with the school’s broader population distribution of key demographics. While the treatment group will participate in the GCF training, the comparison group will not participate in the training. Both groups will need to be tested through a survey instrument (see Appendix C) prior to and after the GCF training. Six to eight (6–8) participants from both participating schools can be invited to participate in focus group discussions for additional data collection and reflection on GCF experiences. Observations and experiences of facilitators pertaining to program fidelity and challenges can be captured in weekly logs as well as an implementation team workshop convened following the completion of the GCF trainings. Survey and Focus Groups

The use of surveys in assessment of changes in knowledge, skills, attitude, and behavior of individuals participating in a program is a well-established practice in social and behavioral sciences. The survey instrument developed for GCF evaluation largely draws upon surveys used by other researchers to evaluate peer gatekeeping programs in other fields (e.g., suicide prevention) as well as other violent extremism prevention programs. Accordingly, the survey inquires about participant demographics (and broader background topics, such as prior involvement in violent extremism training or experience with any form of gatekeeper training) along with a variety of violent extremism-specific questions, such as knowledge of violent extremism, attitudes toward help-seeking, and self-appraisal of skills and motivation to perform gatekeeper practices. The post-survey also includes questions pertaining to training satisfaction and experiences to capture broader intended and unintended effects of the GCF training. Related considerations and steps include:

• Each survey is estimated to take about thirty (30) minutes. • For the treatment group, the baseline (pre-training) testing can be conducted at the beginning of the first GCF session. The end-line (post-training) testing can be conducted at the end of the last GCF session. • For the comparison group, the baseline and end-line surveys can be conducted within one week of the first and last GCF sessions, respectively. • The evaluation team should consider implementing an incentive program (e.g., gift cards) for participation by the treatment and control groups for baseline and end-line testing. • Focus groups are conducted specifically to (1) understand youth perspectives on violent extremism and the feasibility of program solution (e.g., significance of violent extremism threat in their community, barriers to use of skills and knowledge conveyed by the program, etc.) and (2) gauge satisfaction with the program (for training participants only).

Facilitator and Team Observations

Finally, the evaluation effort can leverage facilitators’ perceptions and experiences to identify challenges and issues with program implementation and outcomes. These data can be collected through implementation team discussions following the final training session and supplemented by facilitator logs to document facilitator observations at the end of each training session. Facilitators should not document any personally identifiable data or individual participant details. These notes should document general program-related experience and observations, including participant interest in various subjects covered, implementation fidelity, and participant attrition.

Human Subject Protection

A paramount concern during a GCF evaluation needs to be the protection of participants from any potential risks, particularly given the age of the potential participants. The primary method for achieving this is coordination with an IRB to ensure human subjects are properly protected. In addition, if they haven’t already done so, members of the implementation team should consider taking a human subjects research course.

To ensure protection of rights and welfare of the participants, the implementation team should also subscribe to the following procedures:

• Consent Forms. No student should be allowed to participate in the program without properly executed consent forms that document youth assent as well as parental consent. • Consent Takes Priority Over Assent. No student should be allowed to participate in the program without parental consent, even if the student assents to participation. • Informed Consent Principle. To uphold informed consent principle, the parents and participants should be provided full disclosure of study information, including risks/benefits and incentive payments, in consent and assent forms. Also, potential participants as well as their parents/guardians should be provided with contact information of a point of contact for additional questions. • Lack of Coercion. Participants should be informed that their research participation is completely voluntary and they do not have to answer any questions or participate in any activity that makes them feel uncomfortable. There should be no consequence to withdrawal or refusal to participate in any part of the research. • Confidentiality of Personal Information. This research should not collect any personally identifiable information (PII) other than consent/assent forms; survey responses, focus group participation, and incentive payments should not include PII and should be tracked via code numbers. Analysis should report only aggregated results, and no publication resulting from this research should use information that can indicate a participant’s identity. • Protection and Storage of Participant Data. The implementation team should establish an electronically maintained information management system to store, organize, and update all study-related digital data, complete with standard safeguards (i.e., password protection) to protect data confidentiality and limit access. Any paper research records (e.g., pre/post-test

While previous iterations of the GCF were considered to be low risk to the participants by an independent IRB, there are some potential risks that should be considered when planning a GCF replication. The following are some of these potential risks and recommended mitigation actions:

• There is potential that if participant identities are not properly handled, data associated with the participants (e.g., survey results, focus group discussions, etc.) may cause embarrassment or other emotional distress.

Mitigation Action:

• Participation in the GCF program should be contingent on the signing of a parental/guardian consent form and participant assent form. Protection procedures for this data should be provided both in verbal and written form to the parents/guardians prior to signature.

• Participants will be encouraged to share personal information during the course of the training among peers. If this information is shared outside of the training program, it may cause embarrassment, social challenges, or other emotional distress.

Mitigation Actions:

• Facilitators should encourage open dialogue among participants, while at the same time promoting a sense of trust among the cohort to dissuade gossiping and spreading information outside of the group. • During the first lesson, the facilitators should work with the participants to create agreed- upon guidelines for group confidentiality and respect. • Any personal information captured by the evaluation team should be secured and only shared outside of the team if there is disclosure of abuse or other illegal activity.

• Topics and conversations during the training may be emotionally sensitive and potentially triggering, as youth may recount instances of trauma, violence, and/or abusive relationships.

Mitigation Actions:

• The GCF should be taught by trained facilitators who: (1) are knowledgeable about violent extremism, (2) have the requisite skills to facilitate youth discussion and provide empathetic support to participants, and (3) understand local context to provide participants with

• Role-playing activities among participants during the training may provide opportunities for bullying or an outlet for mean or hurtful comments.

Mitigation Actions:

• During the first lesson, the facilitators should work with the participants to create agreed- upon guidelines for group dynamics promoting respect and appropriate behaviors. • During these activities, trained facilitators should go around the room to ensure that inappropriate behavior among participants is limited.

• Participation in the training program will require a commitment of time that may conflict with other participant commitments, such as a job, sports, or other school commitments.

Mitigation Action:

• It should be clearly stated on the parental/guardian consent and participant assent forms that the youth may drop out (or miss a session) of the program at any time without penalty.

1. IRB Preparation

As stated previously, an IRB review and approval is necessary for completing a proper GCF evaluation. IRB approval can be achieved using either an academic institution or a commercial IRB firm.

Key Activities • Identify IRB organization you want to work with. • Prepare all related GCF and information materials: o Study location(s) o Study protocol document o Recruitment materials (flyers, posters) o Assent and consent forms o Curriculum (handbook and presentation) o Survey instruments Considerations • Make sure to include IRB preparation and maintenance costs in your overall program budget. • Remember you cannot start any recruitment or interaction with participants prior to IRB approval. • Build IRB preparation into your overall schedule and expect approval to take 1–2 months. Expedited approval through a commercial IRB is available usually within 1–2 weeks, but will accrue additional cost. • Be prepared to coordinate multiple times with the IRB to answer questions, update materials, or adjust the study protocol.

Evaluating effectiveness of the GCF program includes collecting both quantitative and qualitative data to assess short-term impact.

Key Activities • Divide cohort into treatment and control groups. • Purchase incentives if being used (e.g., gift cards) and create tracking system for distribution. • Email each cohort and explain their role in the study and the time and date for their first participation. Explain to the control group that participation includes a pre- and post-test session involving the same survey instrument. • Print adequate number of surveys. • Administer the pre- and post-training surveys on scheduled dates. • Attend each session and record observations. • Conduct focus group sessions on scheduled dates. Recording and transcribing focus group discussions is recommended for full data capture and fidelity. • Conduct review session with the facilitators at the end of the program to discuss lessons learned. Considerations • Schedule plenty of time for participants to take the pre- and post-surveys. • Clearly explain to participants how to complete the survey, including how to fill out the name code index (to ensure PII protection) and different question formats. • See Appendix D: Focus Group Facilitator Guide for detailed information and recommendations for conducing a GCF focus group.

3. Evaluation Analysis and Dissemination

Once the GCF evaluation data is collected, there is significant analytic work involved in organizing, processing, and analyzing the data, as well as interpreting results. For this portion of GCF replication, implementers are advised to get professional assistance from those who are experienced in statistical data analysis and technical program evaluation. Following is an overview of some of the key activities and high-level considerations involved in this component:

Key Activities • Enter information from physical surveys into a data analysis tool such as MS Excel. • Code, structure, clean, and import data into a statistical software package (e.g., STATA, R, or SPSS) for analysis. • Determine appropriate statistical methods and tests in light of considerations such as sample size and data quality (e.g., calculation of means and frequencies, cross-tabulations, Cronbach’s alpha, paired sample t-tests, independent sample t-tests, chi-square tests, and regression models).

Conclusion

This Framework is developed to facilitate and guide future GCF replication efforts. Although the information and considerations documented here will likely be helpful to others who are interested in replicating the GCF program, two caveats are in order. First, the effectiveness of the GCF program needs to be authoritatively established before any widespread GCF implementation. The previous NIJ-funded research study (which is the source of this Framework) encountered significant implementation challenges, and the resulting design problems (i.e., small study sample; small and nonrandom control group) decreased the statistical power of that study. As such, previous evaluation was not able to reliably and conclusively determine whether the GCF program was an effective peer gatekeeping program and documented only preliminary findings that require further testing and validation by a larger study. It is critical to note that until a large N study establishes the GCF program’s effectiveness, the substantive impact of this program is unknown and implementers should operate understanding this limitation and its implications for their communities.

Second, the insights and enabling tools documented here are based on the experiences encountered during the previous NIJ-funded study. However, there may be other potential challenges and issues pertaining to a GCF implementation that are not covered in this Framework, as they were not experienced during the previous implementation. As such, this Framework should be taken as provisional and a starting point rather than a final strategy to replication. Future implementers should be flexible and adaptive in their management of the replication effort and continue updating this Framework for the benefit of others who may be interested in implementing the GCF program in their communities.

See attached files for the following Appendices:

Appendix A: Curriculum: Facilitator Guide and Lesson Presentations

Appendix B: Train-the-Trainer Package (presentation and documents)

Appendix C: Pre- and Post-Surveys

Appendix D: Focus Group Facilitator Guide

The World Organization for Resource Development and Education (WORDE) is a nonprofit, educational organization whose mission is to enhance communication and understanding between communities to mitigate social and political conflict.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Lesson Topic Page Number 1. An Introduction to Being a Global Community 6 Leader

2. Rights and Responsibilities to Global Citizenship 15 Online & Offline

3. Cyber Threats & Violent Extremist Movements 25 (Part 1)

4. Cyber Threats & Violent Extremist Movements 38 (Part 2)

5. Bullying & Cyber Bullying 50

6. Crisis Intervention 60

7. Advocacy 70

8. Review and Closing 78

9. Supplemental Lesson on Hate Speech 86

Format of the Curriculum: This curriculum is meant to be a facilitator’s guide.

Every lesson begins with the following format: • Brief introductory note for facilitators • Module outline • Learning objectives • Key terms • Facilitator prep • Materials needed for the lesson • Additional resources to read

In addition, the following icons will be used to notate the following key items:

• Facilitator notes will be denoted

• Activity prompts: Participants will engage in break out activities throughout each lesson to explore new concepts. • Discussion questions: Throughout the curriculum, facilitators will guide the discussion by asking students questions and providing them with prompts. Explanatory text may be included to supplement the conversation. This text will be denoted in black.

• Caution notes in which facilitators should remind students to contact the appropriate authority in case of emergency.

• Customization options: It is important to note that this curriculum is intended to be flexible. The facilitator can use activities and videos that are provided here, or they can draw from other current events and issues. Items that can be customized / adapted to address particular needs of a locality will be highlighted.

• Core components of the curriculum that should be prioritized (especially in the event of time shortages)

Who is this curriculum for? This facilitator’s guide is designed for positive youth development specialists interested in empowering youth to foster help-seeking behaviors among their peers.

Curriculum specific objectives: 1. Increase participants’ knowledge and awareness of destructive and violent behaviors 2. Increase participants’ skills, positive attitude and practices for vicarious help- seeking behaviors 3. Increase participants’ understanding of how to be an “upstander,” a responsible community member within their immediate social network, and more broadly to their global community.

Which ages is this program intended for? This curriculum was designed for high school students, ages 14-17.

How long is the curriculum? The curriculum consists of eight (8) lessons, which are approximately 90 minutes long. The curriculum includes group activities and discussion questions for facilitators to lead, but the content of discussions is largely designed to be student-led. Each lesson builds upon the previous lesson, and it is recommended to teach the curriculum in its entirety for students to gain the most knowledge and skills.

How much prep time is required for each lesson? Facilitators are required to review each lesson’s content and activities. Each lesson will require additional preparation time to adapt hands-on activities and discussion questions for each cohort. Materials required for each lesson are outlined at the beginning of each lesson.

What is the ideal student-to-facilitator ratio for this program? The curriculum consists of many small group activities, so it is recommended that one facilitator engage a maximum of about 20 students in each session.

How do we integrate the accompanying PowerPoint for this program? The PowerPoint is an optional resource for facilitators that may prefer a visual accompaniment to the curriculum. The PowerPoint includes learning objectives, activity prompts, discussion questions, and key terms. Facilitators should NOT utilize the PowerPoint as a substitute for student-led, experiential components of the program. Facilitators should refrain from merely reading off of the slides or repeating information that may have already been covered in student discussion.

Adapting the Curriculum for Your Students

While the overall objective and outline remains constant, activities and examples may be modified to address different learning styles, developmental levels, topical interests and current events. Where possible, facilitators should tailor activities to current events, the local context (e.g. demographics, drivers of conflict, and socio-political environment), and be mindful of community or school-specific dynamics. Sections that can be adapted are denoted.

To begin, when implementing the program, you can create a by-line to personalize the program for your particular context. For example, in Prince George’s County MD, program facilitators utilizing the following by-line: “Global Citizen’s Forum (GCF): Stand Up and Take Charge” reflecting student’s desires to engage in advocacy and social- justice oriented action.

* Additional tips for how to adapt the curriculum for your students, including how to create an effective flyer and other promotional materials to recruit students to participate are included in the supplemental train the trainer manual.

Lesson #1| Introduction to Local and Global Citizenship

BRIEF INTRODUCTORY NOTE FOR FACILITATORS

This lesson will ask students to explore what it means to be a ‘global citizen’ through identifying factors that construct their understanding of identity and community. It is important to note that some students may only be familiar with the terms “citizen” or “citizenship” in a literal sense of describing one’s legal status within a country-specific context. By first exploring local community membership and citizenship, this lesson builds up to the concept of global citizenship, (which on its own may otherwise be unfamiliar, abstract or confusing). Throughout this process, students will identify trusted adults, positive community role models, and explore the idea of becoming “upstanders,” or individuals willing to take a stand for positive change in their communities.

Purpose: To develop community among GCF members; To identify upstanders within the community

MODULE OUTLINE:

Module Outline

Section Description Time

1.1 - Opening An icebreaker that touches on personal 10 minutes connections to local and global geographic regions

1.2 - Welcome Reviews program topics and collectively 15 minutes determines group guidelines

1.3 - Exploring Defines community and global citizenship 25 minutes Communities through exploration of students’ lived experiences

1.4 - Community Explores assets/protective factors and 15 minutes Strengths & challenges of community membership Challenges

1.5 - Characteristics of Identifies positive community role models 15 minutes Community Leaders & Influencers

1.6 - Closing Discusses potential follow-up 10 minutes assignments and provides an opportunity for youth to integrate their learning

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After completing the lesson, the students will be able to:

1. List topics that will be discussed over the course of the program 2. Establish guidelines of group confidentiality and respect 3. Define the terms- community and global citizenship 4. Identify community protective factors and challenges 5. Describe what constitutes positive community leaders and influencers in a diverse world

KEY TERMS

1. Community – A group of people that share a particular trait, characteristic, experience or tradition such as an ethnicity, religion, geographic region, interest, group membership etc. This can include attending the same school, sharing an ethnic heritage or being fans of the same sports team. While communities may have some shared history, practices, attitudes and interests, it is important to remember that there can be as much diversity within communities as there is across communities. 2. Global Citizenship – There are different interpretations of the notion of global citizenship. A common understanding is a sense of belonging to broader community, beyond national boundaries that emphasizes our common humanity and draws on the interconnectedness between the local and the global, the national and the international.1 3. Upstander – An individual that is present during a crisis and/or incident of injustice, hate and/or bias, and takes an active role to facilitate positive action as opposed to a passive bystander who does nothing.

FACILITATOR PREPARATION REQUIRED

1. Review Concepts Addressed in the GCF Curriculum (Section 1.2) 2. Compile examples of community leaders and influencers (Section 1.5)

MATERIALS NEEDED

1 Easel/Board & Writing Utensils (Section 1.2)

1 UNESCO, find link

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES & SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

1.1 Opening Activity

Ask: Going around the room, I’d like each of you to share with us your name, where you are from, or where you were raised, and one country you would like to visit.

By beginning to articulate the factors that construct one’s identity, this ice breaker will serve as an introduction for the definitions of culture and community that will be discussed later. This exercise also promotes healthy communication skills that foster interpersonal connection and group cohesion because students will practice listening -- noting similarities and differences -- and they will practice engaging with each other and speaking in a public context.

1.2 Welcome

Ask: Why did you choose to take part in the program? What about this program would make this worthwhile for you?

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: Summarize participant’s responses and state items that will be covered and not covered over the course of the program. Refer to outline in Introduction for outline of topics.

This helps provide youth with a sense of control over the development of the group and conveys respect for their input. This also provides an opportunity for the facilitator to clarify the objectives of the program and reduce a potential mismatch of expectations that may otherwise lead to a breakdown in trust for the facilitator as the program progresses.

Ask: What are some things we can do today so everyone feels comfortable, respected and welcome here today?

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: During the discussion, facilitator should summarize participant’s responses, obtain consensus, and note participants’ responses on a board.

Rather than dictating the group rules in a top-down manner, this empowers youth to determine their own guidelines and articulate their needs, which can increase their sense of belonging within the program. This also further conveys respect for youth perspectives and models good community practices.

1.3 Exploring Communities

This activity/discussion breaks down key definitions of community and global citizenship through a collaborative, experiential exercise. Recognizing the different communities that we are a part of is an exercise in youth identity exploration and begins the process of asset/resource mapping. The activity also helps students begin to articulate and reconcile multiple components of their identity, and the nuances and diversity within our communities. This can be critical in deconstructing us-versus-them mentalities and increasing feelings of belonging, which if left unaddressed could provoke inter-group conflict.

Activity: Tell Me About Yourself

1) Divide into pairs 2) Ask students to repeat the statement “Tell Me One Thing About Yourself” to their partners. Students should ask this question over and over again, allowing them to answer differently each time. Students should proceed for 60 seconds before switching. 3) After switching once, ask a few students to introduce their partner to the larger group with as many answers as they can remember.

Reflection & Discussion

Ask: What are your initial reactions or thoughts in learning about the people in this program?

If students struggle to provide answers, suggest the following: high quantity, diversity, some similarities, some differences, etc.

Ask: Were there some things that were particularly interesting or surprising to you?

Ask: What things did you not think of that can also apply to who you are?

Ask: What are some of the similarities and differences?

If students struggle to provide answers, suggest the following: people shared similar or different ethnicities, religions, neighborhoods, family traits, hobbies, etc.

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: Facilitator should summarize the discussion so far and add that there are many different components that shape who we are.

Discuss with students:

• We have our interests, personalities, histories, and backgrounds. A lot of the items we listed also represent different communities (e.g. ethnic communities, neighborhoods, sports teams/identities, etc.). These communities can have different cultures, which represent shared ways of life or beliefs, practices, and values.

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: Review definitions of terms that may have been discussed during the activity:

• Community – A group of people that share a particular trait, characteristic, experience or tradition such as an ethnicity, religion, geographic region, interest, group membership etc. This can include attending the same school, sharing an ethnic heritage or being fans of the same sports team. While communities may have some shared history, practices, attitudes and interests, it is important to remember that there can be as much diversity within communities as there is across communities.

Global Communities

Ask: In what ways are you connected to or part of global communities?

If students struggle to provide answers, suggest that some of us have family and friends in different countries, our clothes and other common items are from different countries, we like food and music from around the world, etc.

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: Summarize students’ answers and note that many of the examples that they gave show how we are part of a global

community. Our roles and responsibility in this global community, is what we mean when we say Global Citizenship. Provide definition:

Global Citizenship – There are different interpretations of the notion of global citizenship. A common understanding is a sense of belonging to broader community, beyond national boundaries that emphasizes our common humanity and draws on the interconnectedness between the local and the global, the national and the international.2

1.4 Community Strengths & Challenges

This part of the discussion helps to identify positive attributes of the communities that shape and support us. The exercise also frames who we are and the communities that we are a part of in a positive lens that taps into community pride, loyalty and respect. Only after establishing a foundation that honors our roots and communities, can we begin to explore the challenges that youth face within communities. This conversation further addresses issues of identity, belonging, marginalization and self- esteem.

Ask: Looking at the communities that we have identified, local and global, what are some positive ways in which being a part of a community has helped us or made us better as a result?

If students struggle to provide answers, suggest having a place to belong, knowing that you have someone to turn to for guidance, having help if there is a problem, fun customs and traditions, is a part of who you are, good food, music, art, etc.

Ask: Looking at the communities that we have identified, what are some challenges that we have as members of these communities?

If students struggle to provide answers, prompt if the following apply: racism, discrimination, fights, pressure to perform or excel, gangs, drugs and crime, pressure to conform, diversity not always appreciated, etc.

Ask: Let’s talk about some of the positive influencers – the trusted adults, role models, change makers and positive leaders in our school / workplace /

2 U.S. Fund for UNICEF, 2011 https://www.unicefusa.org/sites/default/files/GCF%20FAQ_Final%202017_0.pdf

faith-based centers and broader community. These figures can also be ‘upstanders’ – a term that applies to individuals that are present during a crisis and/or incident of injustice, hate and/or bias, and take an active role to facilitate positive action as opposed to a passive bystander who does nothing. Who can name some of these figures?

If students struggle to provide answers, prompt with the following: teachers, sports coaches, religious leaders, older siblings, etc.

Ask: What are some of the positive or helpful qualities about these figures?

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: Write these qualities down.

Ask: Are these the same people you would turn to for help if you were ever struggling with something, for example, if someone was harassing you or bullying you, or if you were concerned that your best friend had an eating disorder but didn’t know what to do?

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: Write the following on a white board and ask students whether they would consider these figures as positive influencers, or trusted adults who could help provide help if they were ever in need:

• Teacher • School counselor • School resource officer (SRO) or local police officer • School administrator (e.g. principal) • Social worker • Volunteer coordinator • After-school club sponsor • Faith leader • Sports coach

Ask: Sometimes these resources are hard to access. What are some of the obstacles to building trust or access to these figures?

1.5 Characteristics of Community Leaders & Influencers

This activity gets students to think about trusted adults, role models, change makers and leaders. The first set of discussion questions will focus on upstanders within participant’s immediate social network, and then we will later explore global and historical role models. Overall, this activity is designed to create awareness about trusted adults that can intervene in the life of an individual who may be vulnerable to engaging in dangerous or destructive behaviors. By identifying positive influencers, this activity may also encourage participants to be upstanders in their local and global social networks. Finally, the process of identifying positive role models is also designed to decrease feelings of hopelessness and tie notions of community pride and loyalty to positive figures and attributes.

Ask: Now let’s think of people outside of our immediate social network. Who can name some positive community influencers or role models that are well known around the world, including even historical figures?

Facilitator should be prepared to name 3-5 community leaders or influencers to provide an example or supplement the discussion. Tips for facilitators to pick appropriate figures:

Dos Don’ts

Select figures that will resonate with Do not select figures that may be the diversity of your participants. offensive to participants

Select a mixture of historic and Do not limit figures to particular time contemporary figures from around the periods or geographic regions world

Select figures that have made a positive Do not select figures that engage in contribution to society, embody the violence, racism and/or bigotry qualities of a global citizen and/or overcome adversity

Examples of figures:

• Muhammad Ali (African American boxer who converted to Islam and became an activist for social justice issues) • Malcolm X (African American Muslim leader associated with racial equality movements)

• Malala Yousafzai (Pakistani youth advocate for educational rights who was targeted by the Taliban in an attack) • Alicia Garza/Patrisse Cullors/Opal Tometi (Associated with Black Lives Matter movements) • Ilhan Omar, (First Somali Muslim woman elected to House of Representatives) • Bree Newsome, (Filmmaker and activist known for initiating a debate on removing the confederate flag from statehouse at Columbia, SC which sparked debate and led to removal of the flag) • Laverne Cox (one of the most prominent trans women of color and stars in the show, “Orange is the New Black.”) • Rihanna (singer and humanitarian) • Other notable celebrity-activists and community change makers, etc. e.g. Shonda Rhimes, Solange, Angelina Jolie, Amal Clooney

Ask: What makes these agents of positive change?

If students struggle to provide answers, you can suggest that these figures may stand up for social justice, they respect others, they have roles/jobs that help people, they are intelligent, they intervene when someone may be at-risk of doing something destructive or dangerous, etc. It is important to help students also understand that the positive qualities of these historical figures mirror the qualities of positive influencers in their immediate social networks. Remind participants that each individual in the room has the capacity to become an upstander to become an agent of positive change in their communities.

Ask: Which of these qualities do you feel like you have? Which of these qualities do you feel like you want to have or improve upon?

This can increase self-esteem, help provide a sense of purpose and begin to orient youth to the future.

1.6 Closing

Ask: What is one thing you are taking away from today? This can be something you learned, it can be a new skill or it can be an idea for something you would like to do differently.

This closing helps youth integrate what they have learned into their everyday lives and make direct links/connections to the content. In a shared context, this discussion can also help other students process the relevancy of GCF content.

Lesson #2 | Rights and Responsibilities to Global Citizenship Online & Offline

BRIEF INTRODUCTORY NOTE FOR FACILITATORS

This lesson will help participants understand rights and responsibilities as it relates to being a global citizen. Participants will discuss how upstanders can promote the role of civil rights, civic duty, social justice, advocacy, and humanitarianism. These principles will be applied through the exploration of various scenarios.

Purpose: To discuss potential help-seeking behaviors in a variety of contexts

MODULE OUTLINE:

Module Outline

Section Description Time

2.1 - Local & Global Applies principles of social justice to local 30 minutes Action and global scenarios

2.2 - Civil Rights & Defines civil rights, civic duty, social 20 minutes Responsibilities justice, advocacy, and humanitarianism

2.3 - Global Rights & Explores rights and responsibilities in a 10 minutes Responsibilities global context

2.4 – Upstanders & Discusses principles of being an 20 minutes the Bystander Effect upstander and mechanics of the bystander effect

2.5 - Closing Discusses potential follow-up 10 minutes assignments and provides an opportunity for youth to integrate their learning

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After completing the lesson, the participants will be able to-

1. Recognize the difference between rights and responsibilities 2. Identify rights and responsibilities of community members in local and global contexts 3. Define terms including Civil Rights, Civic Duty/ Responsibility, Civil Rights Leaders/Activists, Social Justice, Advocacy, Humanitarianism 4. Review terms Global Citizenship & Global Citizen 5. Apply principles of rights and responsibilities to different scenarios, local and global

KEY TERMS

4. Civil Rights - Something that you are owed and deserve as it relates to participation in political and social life. For example, in the U.S. Constitution, you have “the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” as well as more specific protections and freedoms that are entitled to you by the government. The first amendment for example, grants you freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition. 5. Civic Responsibility or Civic Duty - something that you owe or do for others as a member of a community or society. Examples include participating in political life (voting, staying engaged, etc.), providing humanitarian assistance and engaging in advocacy. 6. Civil Rights Leaders & Activists – individuals that work for civil rights and social justice for community members 7. Social Justice - equal rights and opportunities related to participation in political and social life regardless on one’s race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, etc. 8. Advocacy - to raise awareness of and provide recommendations for certain issues, usually in terms of political, economic or social assistance 9. Humanitarianism – Someone who works to help improve the lives of others, usually in terms of political, economic or social assistance 10. Global Citizenship – There are different interpretations of the notion of global citizenship. A common understanding is a sense of belonging to broader community, beyond national boundaries that emphasizes our common humanity and draws on the interconnectedness between the local and the global, the national and the international. – UNESCO Definition 11. Global Citizen- Someone who understands interconnectedness, respects and values diversity, has the ability to challenge injustice, and takes action in personally meaningful ways. (© U.S. Fund for UNICEF, 2011) 12. Upstander – An individual that is present during a crisis, public safety incident, and/or incident of injustice, hate and/or bias, and takes an active role to facilitate positive action. 13. Bystander Effect – A phenomena where multiple individuals are present during a crisis and/or incident of injustice, hate and/or bias but do not take action because it is assumed that someone else who is present will take action.

FACILITATOR PREPARATION REQUIRED

3. Review curriculum 4. Prepare 3-5 images to supplement participant submissions (Section 2.1) 5. Modify scenarios for activity (Section 2.4) 6. Cut scenarios on pieces of paper (Section 2.4)

MATERIALS NEEDED

2 Computer & projector with sound capability to play a video (Section 2.1) 3 Paper for scenarios (Section 2.4)

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES & SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

• This lesson draws from Chapter 1 and 2 of WORDE’s Cyber Civility Manual.3 • Psychology Today has published several articles on the bystander effect.4

2.1 Local and Global Action

This activity helps empower participants to recognize the changes that they can make on local and global levels. This can confer a sense of control by highlighting our role and the rights and responsibilities we have in any given situation. This can also provide a sense of positive purpose to youth lives and begin to orient them into thinking of the future by highlighting potential future goals as it relates to some of these scenarios.

Place the different scenarios on slips of paper into a bowl and pass the bowl around so each participant takes turns reading one scenario and answering the prompt: “What are your rights and responsibilities in this situation?”

Discuss with students:

In Lesson One we discussed different types of communities and ways in which community members can have positive influences on each other and the community as a whole. Lesson two will explore our role in the community and in particular our rights and responsibilities as members of a community.

A right is something you are owed and deserve. For example, the Declaration of Independence states you have “the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

A responsibility is a duty to do something for others.

Remember to leave time for discussion where people may have differing viewpoints. Repeat until everyone has answered a question.

3 “Cyber Civility Curriculum,” WORDE http://www.worde.org/publications/cyber-civility-curriculum/ 4 See for example, Meg Selig, “What Everyday Situation can Drain your Empathy for Others, “ Psychology Today, July 11, 2017, https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/changepower/201707/what-everyday-situation-can- drain-your-empathy-others

Glenn Geher, “My Favorite Psychology Study,” March 16, 2017, https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/darwins-subterranean-world/201703/my-favorite-psychology-study

Facilitator should be prepared with enough scenarios for every participant.

Tips for facilitators to draft appropriate scenarios:

Dos Don’ts

Draft scenarios that are short and to the Do not draft long or complicated point scenarios

Draft scenarios that ask what one’s Do not draft scenarios where there are rights and responsibilities are in certain no potential rights and responsibilities situations that prompt specific examples

Draft diverse scenarios that touch upon Do not draft scenarios that deal with a various topics and are relevant to limited number of issues or are limited different communities to only a particular geographic region or ethnicity

Draft a variety of scenarios; some may Do not draft scenarios that leave no have clear/definitive rights & room for debate or nuance responsibilities and others will be up for debate

Include at least one scenario that Do not draft scenarios that omit represents a crisis in which the correct scenarios where direct action is course of action is to contact law required enforcement

Note: In all emergency situations, students should be instructed to call 911. If facilitator is unclear if the situation is an emergency, he/she should consult law enforcement.

Sample Scenarios and Sample Responses:

- A teacher makes a discriminatory comment towards you. What are your rights and responsibilities as a participant?

o Sample Rights- to obtain an education free of harassment, to report discriminatory practices and for action to be taken by the school to follow-up adequately o Sample Responsibilities- to report discriminatory practices in a civil manner - The residential building where you live does not have clean water, what are your rights and responsibilities? o Sample Rights – to clean and safe drinking water, to petition the landlord/property managers, to petition local, state and national bodies o Sample Responsibility – to proceed with petitioning and reporting in a civil manner - You are walking down the street and see two cars crash into each other on the street. You see the cars come to a stop but no one exits and you suspect that someone may be hurt. What are your rights and responsibilities? o Sample Rights – be mindful of your own safety and then see if you can help assist those in the accident. o Sample Responsibilities – Call 911 immediately from your cell phone (even if you think someone else may call) - A politician that you do not like is elected, what are your rights and responsibilities? o Sample Right – free speech to express your opinion. o Sample Responsibility- create a campaign (e.g. letter writing campaign to the politician, or a petition drive) to change a policy; or peacefully protest in a manner that does not enact violence. - In many countries around the world, including the United States, there are weak or no protections against child marriage and boys and girls as young as 11 can get married – often against their will. What are your rights and responsibilities? o Sample Right – to refuse a child marriage, to peacefully protest unjust laws o Sample Responsibility- to raise awareness about child marriage, work with advocacy groups to combat child marriage - Scientists around the world recognize the effect of global warming on an international level. What are your rights and responsibilities? o Sample Rights – to live on a healthy planet; have access to clean water and air. o Sample Responsibilities – limit personal use of resources when possible, join an advocacy organization, sign a petition, etc. - You see someone from your school post the following on social media- “Life is so pointless. No one would even care if I killed myself.” What are your rights and responsibilities? o Sample Rights – to make an anonymous tip o Sample Responsibilities – to contact law enforcement and a trusted adult

- You see a friend post a racist or intolerant picture on social media. What are your rights and responsibilities? o Sample Rights – to report offensive content, to block them on social media, to limit contact with them o Sample Responsibilities – it may be a responsibility to say something to the individual, post a positive message on social media to counter

2.2 Civil Rights & Responsibilities

This discussion frames the conversation around rights and responsibilities within a social justice framework that can empower participants, develop a positive sense of belonging, provide a sense of purpose, maintain a sense of control in the face of distress, highlight key role models within the community, and provide a constructive outlet for social, political and economic grievances.

This conversation can become emotionally sensitive and potentially triggering as participants may recount instances of trauma and/or violence in their lives. Facilitators should be mindful of empathically acknowledging any self-disclosures. If a disagreement should arise among participants, facilitators can model an environment where diverse perspectives are respected by allowing both sides to respectfully articulate and listen to each other’s concerns.

Discussion: Civil Rights & Responsibilities

Discuss with students, while referencing examples from Activity 2.1:

A Right is something you are owed and deserve. For example, the Declaration of Independence states you have “the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

A Civil Right is something that you are owed and deserve as it relates to opportunities for participation in political and social life. Civil rights often include protections for equality for all people regardless of one’s race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, etc.

Civil Rights Leaders & Activists are individuals that seek social justice for their community.

Social Justice is the pursuit of equal rights and opportunities for all.

Martin Luther King Jr. is a civil rights leader that promoted social justice and fought to end racial segregation and other forms of discrimination. In his last speech, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” in Memphis, Tennessee where he was peacefully

protesting the unfair treatment of black sanitation workers, he said, “Somewhere I read of the freedom of assembly. Somewhere I read of the freedom of speech. Somewhere I read of the freedom of press. Somewhere I read that the greatness of America is the right to protest for rights. And so just as I said, we aren't going to let dogs or water hoses turn us around. We aren't going to let any injunction turn us around. We are going on.” This quote reminds us that in American history, the pursuit for equality is an ongoing challenge that each generation must face.

Ask: What are examples of injustice you are seeing in the community?

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: Prompt students to consider the following: youth abused/mistreated/killed, racial profiling, broken criminal justice system, racism or discrimination based on color or religion, etc.

Discuss with students:

As a member of a community, everyone has the responsibility to address challenges they see like injustice.

A responsibility is a duty to do something for others. You could be a humanitarian – someone who is concerned with advancing the welfare of others by providing direct assistance. Or you could be an advocate – someone who taps into their civic responsibility to promote change.

Examples of Civic Responsibility include participating in political life (e.g. voting, staying engaged in debates about current affairs, etc.), volunteering, and engaging in advocacy to advance a particular position on an issue.

It’s important to remember that everyone here has the capacity to foster positive change.

If someone were to just focus on the things that are going wrong in their community, it’s easy to understand how they would get frustrated or feel powerless. Sometimes when we think of activism or helping others, it can be discouraging if we think, “well…I am just one person. What can I really do?”

Remember when King said, “Somewhere I read that the greatness of America was the right to protest for rights.” Exercising your civic responsibility or being a humanitarian can be one way to engage in constructive, peaceful action. However, it is important to keep in mind that when protests are no longer peaceful, then you become the oppressor and are taking away someone else’s right to “life and liberty.”

Show participants a brief video highlighting a particular advocate or humanitarian.

Tips for facilitators in picking an appropriate video clip

Dos Don’ts

Select a clip that highlights the Do not select a clip that fails to center achievements of an advocate or on a particular example of an humanitarian individual or organization but rather discusses advocacy & humanitarianism broadly

Select a clip that is 5 minutes or shorter Do not select a lengthy film or clip

Select a clip that will resonate with the Do not select a clip that may be diversity of your participants. offensive to participants

Select a clip that students will find fun, Do not select a clip that is dry or overly interesting or enjoyable academic/theoretical

Select a clip that is inspirational and Do not select a clip that presents a conveys positive messages about how hopeless or apathetic stance towards participants can become social issues; do not select a clip that is advocates/humanitarians sexually explicit or glorifies violence and/or illegal/illicit activity

Sample Clip-

“So I Made it to Harvard”: Rihanna Receives Harvard’s Humanitarian Award”- an excerpt from the acceptance speech of singer, Rihanna when accepting a humanitarian award for establishing a center for oncology and nuclear medicine to diagnose and treat breast cancer in Barbados. In this video, Rihanna discusses the power of every individual to do something to help others. [3:09; Available on YouTube]

Ask: What is one thing that you think you could do that may help others or make the world a better place?

2.3 Global Rights and Responsibilities

Discuss with students:

We have discussed some great examples of our rights and responsibilities in a local context- our school, neighborhood, country, etc. Let us think of how this can be incorporated more on a global level.

Ask: What are some issues that you care about on a global level?

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: Prompt students to consider the following: war, global warming, rights of children, etc.

2.4 Upstanders & the Bystander Effect

A global citizen is an example of an upstander, or an individual that is present during a crisis, public safety incident, and/or incident of injustice, hate and/or bias, and takes an active role to facilitate positive action. Depending on the scenario, positive actions could include reporting a crime to the appropriate authorities (e.g. a school resource officer, school counselor, teacher, or administrator); speaking out against an issue to increase public awareness about an injustice; or doing something that provides support (e.g. being an empathetic listener) to the victim/person affected.

For example, if you have ever been in a situation where you saw someone trip and fall on the sidewalk, and you stopped to ask if they are ok, you have already had some experience with being an upstander!

If you did nothing – you would be the opposite of an upstander: a bystander who does nothing.

If you stood by and did nothing because there were other people walking by and you assumed someone else was about to reach out and ask if they were ok, you would be contributing to what social scientists call the bystander effect – a phenomena where multiple individuals are present during a crisis, public safety incident, and/or incident of injustice, hate and/or bias but do not take action because it is assumed that someone else who is present will take action, or that action is unnecessary.

Ask: What are some consequences of being a bystander?

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: If students struggle to provide answers, suggest the following: if no one acts, then the person who fell could potentially remain injured; if no one acted, then it might normalize apathy or a lack of compassion for other bystanders; the person who is hurt may feel like no one cares about them, creating long-term anxiety.

Ask: Why do you think someone might hesitate to be an upstander?

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: If students struggle to provide answers, suggest the following: if you are too busy you may not be able to help; you expect someone else to get involved; in some situations, it might be dangerous to act (e.g. report a crime or suspicious activity) because of fear of retaliation by the perpetrator; potential loss of friendship if you report an incident that your friend may be involved in; etc.

Ask: If you can’t be an upstander in a moment of crisis, or as an incident is unfolding, what can you do afterwards to take positive action?

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: Prompt students to think about how they could post about the event afterwards on social media in a constructive manner e.g. through a public awareness campaign that increases education about the issue.

Learning how to express one’s emotions is an important skill for youth as they develop their emotional intelligence. For some students who need a channel to articulate their frustrations about an incident, art can become a powerful tool for them to express themselves.

Ask: In what ways can upstanders use art for social change?

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: Prompt students to consider the following: using art to express their feelings, thoughts, opinions and ideas to help better understand a situation, using art to share our experiences and understanding of issues with others, raise awareness about certain issues, propose solutions and ideas for certain situations, help build a movement and/or community of support.

2.5 Closing

Ask: What is one thing you are taking away from today? This can be something you learned, it can be a new skill or it can be an idea for something you would like to do differently.

Lesson #3 | Cyber Threats and Violent Extremist Movements | Part 1

BRIEF INTRODUCTORY NOTE FOR FACILITATORS

This lesson expects students to apply what they have learned in the previous lessons about being upstanders towards cyber threats such as sexual predators, or radicalization to violent extremism. Although these cyber threats are different, they are explored together in this lesson because sexual predators often use similar grooming tactics as recruiters for violent extremist organizations, or gang recruiters.

The sections of the lesson that focus on violent extremism are designed to develop participants’ understanding of different violent extremist organizations, their recruitment tactics, as well as potential factors that may influence one’s radicalization towards these groups.

This lesson also aims to address attitudes towards taking preventative action and engaging in help-seeking behaviors as it relates to these threats and providing the requisite skills for youth to assist their peers and help facilitate support.

Throughout this lesson, it will be important to remind students that potential risk factors to joining these groups are similar to other indicators of vulnerability to engage in destructive behaviors. Just as it is important to provide support for peers who may be suffering and need help coping with depression, drug abuse, homicidal ideation, or eating disorders -- it is equally important to recognize when an individual may be radicalizing towards a violent extremist organization.

Purpose: To increase knowledge and awareness of destructive and violent behaviors; To increase help-seeking behaviors and identify upstanders in these contexts

MODULE OUTLINE:

Module Outline

Section Description Time

3.1 – Sexual Predators Defines grooming and introduces 30 Minutes participants to cyber threats through the example of sexual predators.

3.2 – Understanding Defines violent extremism, radicalization 20 Minutes Violent Extremism and mobilization and discusses why individuals may join violent extremism movements and different indicators for mobilization.

3.3 – Upstander Skills Develops participant help-seeking skills 30 Minutes Development through role-playing activities.

3.4 - Closing Discusses potential follow-up 10 minutes assignments and provides an opportunity for youth to integrate their learning

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After completing the lesson, the participants will be able to:

1. Discuss factors that contribute to youth becoming vulnerable to online predators, including sexual predators and recruiters to violent extremism 2. Identify signs of mobilization to violence and/or other destructive behaviors 3. Apply techniques in assisting individuals who may be vulnerable to online predators 4. Discuss definitions including sexual predator, grooming, violent extremism, radicalization, and mobilization.

KEY TERMS

1. Upstander – An individual that is present during a crisis, public safety incident, and/or incident of injustice, hate and/or bias, and takes an active role to facilitate positive action. 2. Sexual Predator – Someone who pursues another person for sexually related offenses such as rape, sexual assault, pedophilia, etc. [*Note. The legal definition of sexual predators and sexual offenders varies from state to state and may include formal convictions of a sexually related offense (felony, misdemeanor etc.) and inclusion on a formal registry of sexual offenders. For the purposes of this curriculum, “sexual predator” is used in a broad sense and characterized by a “predatory” pattern of behaviors towards grooming and engaging a target.] 3. Grooming – Deliberate tactics and strategies used by an individual to identify, prepare and influence another person towards engaging in abusive relationships and/or destructive behaviors (i.e. joining a gang, joining a violent extremist organization, engaging in illicit sexual activity, etc.). Grooming often involves establishing emotional, social, and material (money, gifts, etc.) connections to a target in order to gain trust, sympathy and ultimately dependence. 4. Violent Extremism – Ideologically motivated violence that furthers social, political and economic goals. “Ideological” means that it is related to larger beliefs and ideas. That means that this violence is different from someone shooting someone on the street randomly as a part of the robbery. 5. Radicalization - Radicalization to violent extremism is the process by which individuals come to believe that violence is necessary to achieve social and political change. This is different from engaging in non-violent radicalism, which is a belief

that social and/or political systems need to be fundamentally reformed or changed, without the use of violence (i.e. having a radical view on governance, marriage, gender relations, etc.). 6. Mobilization - The process by which radicalized individuals take action to prepare for, participate in or support violent causes. This can include fundraising for extremist groups, making plans for violent actions (e.g. buying a plane ticket to support a foreign terrorist organization, or buying materials to make weapons).

FACILITATOR PREPARATION REQUIRED

7. Review curriculum 8. Prepare a list of potential local rivalries and examples of negative consequences specific to your target population. Consult with local stakeholders as needed to augment the discussion. (Section 3.2) 9. Print “Pyramid of Hate” handout (Section 3.2) 10. Modify and print scenarios for activity (Section 3.3) 11. Create and print handouts for local resources (Section 3.3)

MATERIALS NEEDED

3 Handouts of the Pyramid of Hate 5 (Section 3.2) 4 Paper for Scenarios and handouts on local resources (Section 3.3)

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES & SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

• This lesson draws from Chapter 3 of WORDE’s Cyber Civility Manual6 • Laurel House is a social service agency that works with survivors of sexual assault and has published an article, “Sexual Offender Tactics and Grooming,” that may be helpful in understanding the grooming process.7 • Kids Live Safe is dedicated to protecting children from sexual predators and has authored a comprehensive Child Safety E-book; the book deals with issues including sexual predators, cyber bullying and general online safety.8 • Life After Hate is a non-profit organization created by former members of the American violent far-right extremist movement; through powerful stories of transformation and unique insight gleaned from decades of experience, they serve to inspire, educate, guide, and counsel.9

5 https://www.adl.org/sites/default/files/documents/assets/pdf/education-outreach/Pyramid-of-Hate.pdf 6 http://www.worde.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/WORDE-Cyber-Civility-Curriculum-Teachers- Manual.pdf 7 http://laurelhouse.org.au/?page_id=36 8 http://www.kidslivesafe.com/child-safety/ 9 https://www.lifeafterhate.org/

• USAID manual, “Street Gangs and Violent Extremist Organizations: Learning Across Fields,” identifies applicable lessons and programming recommendations across the two domains of street gangs and violent extremist organizations.10 • The World Organization for Resource Development and Education (WORDE) has published an Instructor’s Manual for Developing a Community-Led Approach to Countering Violent Extremism. In particular, Module 2 provides an overview of potential factors that contribute to youth becoming vulnerable to radicalization.11 • For a case study on the online radicalization and recruitment techniques utilized by violent extremists like ISIS, refer to an article published by the New York Times on a young woman from Washington that was radicalized online.12 This article also illustrates how multiple, overlapping potential risk factors can make an individual vulnerable to recruitment. • For a case study on the radicalization of a former neo-Nazi, refer to this video featuring Christian Picciolini who explains how he was radicalized as a teenager to CBS News correspondent Dean Reynolds.13 • The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has an interactive website that records the number of hate groups active in the US.14 When these groups engage in violence, they are considered violent extremist organizations.

3.1 Sexual Predators

This section helps participants understand how online sexual predators use grooming techniques to influence their targets into engaging in illicit and/or exploitative sexual activity. Participants also explore key upstander skills including help-seeking behaviors, and providing social and emotional support to targets.

Activity: As a group, listen to “Karen’s Story” [8 min 26 sec]15. Tell participants to pay particular attention to signs of “grooming” as well as to think about ways in which they may have been able to assist Karen as an upstander.

Review Definitions:

10 http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00MPHK.pdf 11 http://www.worde.org/publications/an-instructors-manual-for-developing-a-community-led-approach-to- countering-violent-extremism-cve/ 12 Rukmini Callimachi, “ISIS and the Lonely American,” New York Times, June 27, 2015 13 “Former Neo-Nazi Explains his Radicalization,” CBS Evening News, June 23, 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMkHzB7-nHo 14 “Hate Groups 1999-2016,” Southern Poverty Law Center, Updated February 15, 2017 https://www.splcenter.org/hate-map

15 https://soundcloud.com/wordestaff/online-predators-karens-story

Upstander – An individual that is present during a crisis, public safety incident, and/or incident of injustice, hate and/or bias, and takes an active role to facilitate positive action.

Ask: What are your initial reactions/thoughts after hearing Karen’s story?

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: Summarize participant responses and note that Karen was the target of a sexual predator.

Review the following definition:

Sexual Predator – Someone who pursues another person for sexually related offenses such as rape, sexual assault, pedophilia, etc. [*Note. The legal definition of sexual predators and sexual offenders varies from state to state and may include formal convictions of a sexually related offense (felony, misdemeanor etc.) and inclusion on a formal registry of sexual offenders. For the purposes of this curriculum, “sexual predator” is used in a broad sense and characterized by a “predatory” pattern of behaviors towards grooming and engaging a target.]

Kids Live Safe notes, “To most people, especially children, sexual predators are thought of as scary-looking and creepy. However, most of the time, they look like regular people. It is for this reason that it is extremely important for both children and parents to understand that anyone can be a sexual predator, no matter how "normal" or trustworthy they may seem.16”

Ask: What are ways that you can help Karen as an upstander?

Review the definition of an upstander. If participants struggle to provide answers, suggest that an upstander can provide the following levels of support:

• Social / Emotional – listen to Karen’s concerns, provide positive validation, help Karen participate in activities where she feels included and good about her self

16 Child Safety Ebook, Chapter 1, http://www.kidslivesafe.com/child-safety/who-are-sexual-predators

• Instrumental – provide education around sexual predators and how insecure our information is online (i.e. things can go viral and anyone can access our photos), help Karen talk to a trusted adult about her concerns

Ask: What are examples of things that students did that were not helpful to Karen?

If participants struggle to provide answers, note that students were judgmental, they isolated her at a time when she needed the most support, they weren’t watching out for some of the warning signs that something may be wrong, they did not ask a trusted adult for help/assistance

Ask: In what ways was Karen “groomed” prior to the abuse.

Review the definition of grooming. If participants struggle to provide answers, suggest that he gave her compliments, made her feel special, told her that only he understood her, separated her from her friends and family, encouraged secrecy, etc.

Ask: In lesson one we talked about trusted adults, role models, change makers and positive leaders in our school / workplace / faith-based centers and broader community (e.g. teachers, sports coaches, religious leaders, school resource officers, older siblings, etc.) If you saw a friend in similar situation as Karen, who would you turn to for help?

Ask: As a global citizen, what can we do to raise awareness of these issues and prevent friends from being taken advantage of, or manipulated like Karen?

3.2 Understanding Violent Extremism

This section defines key terms relating to violent extremism and develops participants understanding of the processes of radicalization and mobilization. In exploring why individuals may join violent extremist movements, this section also builds off of earlier discussions of hate and bias and seeks to foster positive, inclusive attitudes that undercut radical narratives provided by violent extremist groups.

Discuss with students:

Violent Extremism – ideologically motivated violence that furthers social, political and economic goals. “Ideological” means that it is related to larger beliefs and ideas that justify the use of violence to achieve change. That means that this violence is different from someone shooting someone on the street randomly as a part of the robbery.

Ask: Who has an example from the news of an individual who has engaged or attempted to engage in a violent extremist act?

This question will help the facilitator understand participant’s baseline understanding of violent extremism.

As participants provide examples, ensure that they are not exclusively focusing on just violence committed by international-based organizations. Challenge students to think about domestic actors as well.

If necessary, prompt students to consider cases e.g. Dylann Roof (white supremacist) who shot and killed nine people in a historically black church in Charleston, New Zealand mosque shooting in Christtown (white supremacist) that killed 51 Muslims, South Carolina; or the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon led by Ammon Bundy (loosely affiliated with the Sovereign Citizen movement), or the 2015 San Bernadino shooting carried out by Rizwan Farook and Tafsheen Malik after claiming allegiance to ISIS, or the 2015 Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood shooting carried out by Robert Louis Dear Jr.

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: Summarize participant responses and note the following during the discussion:

There are a number of violent extremist movements active around the world and here in the US:

Nationalist movements like the KKK in the US or Abhinav Bharat in India that want to establish a new utopian state with one racial group dominating over others.

Anti-state or anarchist movements such as the Sovereign Citizens, who reject the authority of the government and refuse to pay taxes, or recognize the authority of public officials including local or federal law enforcement agencies.

Issue-based extremists like eco-terrorists, radical animal rights activists, or anti- abortion violent activists, who engage in violent tactics to advance their policy positions.

To be clear, not all protestors are violent extremists – only those who engage or advocate for the use of violence would be considered violent extremists.

Ideologically motivated gangs engage in organized crime, justifying the use of violence based on a particular extremist ideology and they may target individuals that do not ascribe to their particular ideology or mindset. These groups often draw together people from the same ethnicity to protect their group.

Violent extremists that justify the use of violence based on radical interpretations of a faith, such as Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Taliban, Al-Shabab, Boko Haram related groups; or the 969 Movement (a Buddhist extremist organization). Individuals who are within this category often operate as “lone wolves” – but they are increasingly inspired or directed by a larger group.

It is important to note that belief in a particular religious does not make someone a violent extremist. Even “religiosity” - the degree to which someone practices their faith, (for example, how often they go to church or a mosque) is not an indicator that someone may be vulnerable to radicalizing to one of these groups. Indeed, studies indicate that a large number of those involved in terrorism do not practice their faith regularly.

Despite the differences in these groups – there are some underlying common themes.

• It is important to note that radicalization is not a phenomenon that is particular to any single ethnic or religious community. Indeed, many of the reasons why someone would join a radical white nationalist group might be the same as someone joining a group like ISIS.

• Many violent extremists have intolerance or hatred of people who are not part of their community – and they often blame other groups for the problems or challenges that their group faces. They also tend to be fundamentalist in their beliefs. They believe that there is only one true path or way to achieve change; or that there is only one particular way society should be structured. They are very intolerant of diverse opinions and beliefs and think only their approach is right. This kind of limited thinking means that they often see the world divided as good versus evil; or divided between “those who are with us” and “those who are without us.” Sometimes they might argue that their community is being discriminated against and that they have to do whatever it takes to regain respect – even if it means resorting to violence, or even dying for the cause. This idea -- that violence is necessary to achieve change -- is a central theme for all violent extremists.

• Let’s think about how this applies to the context of white nationalist groups like the Ku Klux Klan. Many of us are familiar with their history of hate and violence. They hold the belief that whites or Caucasians are a superior race (also known as white supremacy). They advocate or engage in violence against people of other races because of their belief that those races are inferior. Similarly, people who are a part of ISIS, believe that they are the true and best followers of Islam and the best Muslims. They want to kill all other Muslims and non-Muslims that disagree with their worldviews. • Radicalization to violent extremism is the process by which individuals come to believe that violence is necessary to achieve social and political change. Radicalization to violent extremism is the process by which individuals come to believe that violence is necessary to achieve social and political change. This is different from engaging in non-violent radicalism, which is a belief that social and/or political systems need to be fundamentally reformed or changed, without the use of violence.

Ask: What are some things that could radicalize someone towards extreme hatred or intolerance towards others – or to believe that violence is a justifiable means to achieve their goals?

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: Summarize participants’ answers and provide participants a handout of the Pyramid of Hate (attached at the end of the lesson). Note that hatred for others and “us-versus-them” mentalities can lead to violence. Violence does not just happen one day. It is a result of many events, big and small, over time. At the base of the pyramid are ‘biases.’ [Note: You do not need to explain every section of the pyramid. Rather, highlight the general theme of the pyramid as stated above]

Ask: How do biases and individual acts of prejudice differ from having pride in our community and wanting our community to excel and be the best?

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: Summarize participants’ answers and note the following:

• There is a fine line between healthy competition, and rivalries like sporting rivalries and hatred of the other. This is because even in healthy competitions and rivalries we still have respect for the lives of ‘the other.’ The problem is only when we go beyond pride, self-love and healthy competition but rather use a belief in our superiority (thinking we are the best) or differences to say that violence against other people and communities is necessary and the right thing to do.

Ask: What are some rivalries that you can think of in your community that can have negative consequences? What are some examples of how this can lead to violence?

Prepare a list of potential local rivalries and examples of negative consequences specific to your target population. Consult with local stakeholders as needed to supplement the discussion.

Ask: Similar to in “Karen’s Story,” how might recruiters use social media to engage young people and spread their message?

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: Summarize participants’ answers and note the following points:

Extremists operate online and offline. That means they do not only post their views on social media, but when they are – they use the same social media platforms and apps that you are - such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Kik, Ask.fm, WhatsApp, Tumblr, Flickr, and Snapchat.

They use these digital platforms to

• Radicalize individuals by spreading extremist messages that provoke hatred and intolerance • Gain supporters • Fundraise • Communicate with their members • Coordinate their activities • Most violent extremists also use digital media to “broadcast their intent” or tell someone that they are about to engage in a violent or destructive activity.

It is important to note that people who follow extremist groups on social media are not necessarily violent extremists. They may simply be interested in learning more from an academic point of view. Nonetheless, if someone in your social media network is following one of these groups, you can encourage them to follow other educational feeds instead, of organizations that study the trends and impact of these groups. See for example, the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, Quilliam, WORDE, Life After Hate, or the George Washington University Program on Extremism.

Sometimes mobilization to violent extremism can occur online too. Mobilization is the process by which radicalized individuals take action to prepare for, participate in or support violent causes. This can include fundraising for extremist groups, making plans for violent actions (e.g. buying a plane ticket to support a foreign terrorist organization, or buying materials to make weapons).

3.3 Upstander Skills Development

This activity helps participants increase knowledge and awareness of resources that they can turn to if they think an individual may be mobilizing towards violence and role- playing ways to engage bystanders and develop scripts for taking a stand / facilitating positive change.

Activity: Divide participants into groups of 4 people and provide each group with 2-3 prompts that highlight a scenario in which an upstander can potentially take action. Assign participants to the following roles:

Participant 1-2: Bystanders that believe that action should NOT be taken to intervene

Participant 3-4: Upstanders that believe that action SHOULD be taken to intervene

During the role playing, participants should discuss if action should be taken and defend their points for 5 minutes. The remaining 5 minutes should be used to brainstorm different ways in which upstanders can potentially provide assistance. Facilitator should note that in some scenarios, it may not be advisable to engage the individual that is in crisis (especially when participants do not feel comfortable or believe that it would not be safe to do so). In these cases, participants will be encouraged to immediately notify a trusted adult or law enforcement.

After ten minutes, everyone will come back in a group and share their scenarios, arguments of bystanders and upstanders, and the different ways in which upstanders can provide assistance. Facilitator should note ideas on the board.

Facilitators should make handouts of school, neighborhood, county and national organizations and individuals that participants can turn to for crisis and other support services.

Facilitators should be prepared with 5-7 scenarios to facilitate the activity. Scenarios should include a lens of suicidal ideation, homicidal ideation and/or violent extremism.

Tips for facilitators to draft appropriate scenarios include:

Dos Don’ts

Draft scenarios that are short and to the Do not draft long or complicated point scenarios

Draft scenarios that ask students “what Do not draft scenarios where there are you would do” in regard to a specific no potential action items to be taken situation

Draft diverse scenarios that touch upon Do not draft scenarios that deal with a various topics and are relevant to limited number of issue sets different communities

Draft a variety of scenarios; some will Do not draft scenarios that leave no necessitate clear/definitive course of room for debate or nuance action and others will be up for debate

Include at least one scenario that Do not draft scenarios that omit represents a crisis in which the correct scenarios where specific action is course of action is to contact law required enforcement

Sample Scenarios:

• What would you do if one of your classmates, Sarah, posted a comment on one of their social media accounts that “I’m over this life, and these people. Bye everyone.” o Potential Bystander Arguments – Someone else will intervene, Sarah always makes those threats and never does anything, Sarah is not hurting anyone else, I don’t want to get in trouble for reporting it and wasting people’s time if Sarah does not actually mean it. o Potential Upstander Arguments – Everyone thinks someone else will intervene which is why no one will actually intervene, You do not want to take the risk that Sarah may go through with it (it is not worth it!), Sarah can potentially hurt herself which will also hurt all those around her, you will not get in trouble for reporting threats that people make (even if the person made a false threat) o Potential Action to be taken – Call law enforcement/ tell a trusted adult; reach out to Sarah and see how she is doing and determine what her intentions are [Note. In instances of “imminent harm,” or when it seems that someone may hurt themselves or others, you should always call 911 even if you tell another trusted adult or reach out to Sarah because you cannot guarantee their safety otherwise]; talk to Sarah about getting help; call a crisis line; etc. • What would you do if one of your friends, Jon, donated on GoFundMe towards a charity that was known for advocating violence?

o Potential Bystander Arguments – What people do with their own money is their business, it’s not like Jon is killing anyone so who cares? o Potential Upstander Arguments –As an upstander and friend you can talk to Jon about the effects of violence and contributing to violent organizations and help them think about alternative options to support. o Potential Action to be taken – Talk to Jon and say things such as, “Hey Jon, it’s great that you are donating money to an organization. That organization advocates for violence though which really hurts people in our community and in other communities.” In addition, report the violent organization on GoFundMe. • What would you do if you saw on social media, that a friend, Jerome, posts something in support of a violent extremist organization, like “Man….they are not so bad. They’re the only ones standing up for social justice of our community! What they are doing is necessary and more people should support them” o Potential Bystander Arguments – Free speech means that they can write whatever they want! Who cares what crazy things Jerome writes. o Potential Upstander Arguments – Free speech also gives us the right to share our opinions with Jerome in a respectful way. o Potential Action to be taken – Talk to Jerome and provide resources that show how the organization that he is supporting spreads hate, intolerance and violence. Talk to Jerome about getting involved in organizations that advocate for social justice through peaceful, constructive outlets. • What would you do if a cousin, Joy, wanted to join an organization that advocates violence and tells you, “I met the greatest guy! He is part of an organization that is really trying to help people abroad that are suffering from humanitarian abuses but they get such a bad rep. because they are considered armed rebels! I am so sick of school and all these boring people that don’t care about helping people. I’m thinking of leaving home to join him but I can’t tell my parents until after I leave or they will try and stop me…” o Potential Bystander Arguments – Joy is crazy and there is nothing you can do, maybe Joys boyfriend will hurt you if you dissuade her. o Potential Upstander Arguments – Joy could get in a lot of trouble by joining that kind of organization, she may be speaking to a guy who is actually a predator/recruiter, Joy is not crazy but rather is potentially under the influence of a recruiter/predator o Potential Action to be taken – Talk to Joy about different resources that she can turn to help people who may be suffering from humanitarian abuses (e.g. a reputable international organization like the red cross); tell Joy’s parents about what Joy may be planning to do, or consider talking to a trusted adult (e.g. a teacher, counselor, etc.). If you fear for your safety tell the adult that you want to stay anonymous.

3.4 Closing

Ask: What is one thing you are taking away from today? This can be something you learned, it can be a new skill or it can be an idea for something you would like to do differently.

Lesson #4 | Cyber Threats and Violent Extremist Movements | Part 2

BRIEF INTRODUCTORY NOTE FOR FACILITATORS

This lesson will increase knowledge and awareness of violent extremism and address issues of why individuals are joining extremist movements and provide positive alternatives. This lesson aims to address attitudes towards taking preventative action and engaging in help-seeking behaviors as it relates to these threats and providing the requisite skills for youth to assist their peers and help facilitate support.

Purpose: To increase knowledge and awareness of destructive and violent behaviors; To increase help-seeking behaviors and identify upstanders in these contexts

MODULE OUTLINE:

Module Outline

Section Description Time

4.1 - Opening Review definition of upstander 5 Minutes

4.2 – Upstander Skills Develops participant help-seeking skills 35 Minutes Development through group discussion of case studies.

4.3 – Violent An overview of violent extremism, 40 Minutes Extremism Overview recruitment methods, and consequences of joining an organization that espouses violent extremism.

4.4 - Closing Discusses potential follow-up 10 minutes assignments and provides an opportunity for youth to integrate their learning

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After completing the lesson, the students will be able to:

5. Discuss factors that contribute to youth becoming vulnerable to recruiters to violent extremism 6. Identify signs of mobilization to violence and/or other destructive behaviors 7. Apply techniques in assisting individuals who may be vulnerable to online predators 8. Discuss definitions including grooming, violent extremism, radicalization, and mobilization.

KEY TERMS

7. Upstander - An individual that is present during a crisis, public safety incident, and/or incident of injustice, hate and/or bias, and takes an active role to facilitate positive action. 8. Grooming – Deliberate tactics and strategies used by an individual to identify, prepare and influence another person towards engaging in abusive relationships and/or destructive behaviors (i.e. joining a gang, joining a violent extremist organization, engaging in illicit sexual activity, etc.). Grooming often involves establishing emotional, social, and material (money, gifts, etc.) connections to a target in order to gain trust, sympathy and ultimately dependence. 9. Violent Extremism – Ideologically motivated violence that furthers social, political and economic goals. “Ideological” means that it is related to larger beliefs and ideas. That means that this violence is different from someone shooting someone on the street randomly as a part of the robbery. 10. Radicalization - Radicalization to violent extremism is the process by which individuals come to believe that violence is necessary to achieve social and political change. This is different from engaging in non-violent radicalism, which is a belief that social and/or political systems need to be fundamentally reformed or changed, without the use of violence (i.e. having a radical view on governance, marriage, gender relations, etc.). 11. Mobilization - The process by which radicalized individuals take action to prepare for, participate in or support violent causes. This can include fundraising for extremist groups, making plans for violent actions (e.g. buying a plane ticket to support a foreign terrorist organization, or buying materials to make weapons).

FACILITATOR PREPARATION REQUIRED

12. Review curriculum 13. Print case studies for activity (Section 4.2) 14. Print handouts for local resources (Section 4.2)

MATERIALS NEEDED

3 Paper for Scenarios and handouts on local resources (Section 4.2)

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES & SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

• This lesson draws from Chapter 3 of WORDE’s Cyber Civility Manual17

17 http://www.worde.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/WORDE-Cyber-Civility-Curriculum-Teachers-Manual.pdf

• Life After Hate is a non-profit organization created by former members of the American violent far-right extremist movement; through powerful stories of transformation and unique insight gleaned from decades of experience, they serve to inspire, educate, guide, and counsel.18 • USAID manual, “Street Gangs and Violent Extremist Organizations: Learning Across Fields,” identifies applicable lessons and programming recommendations across the two domains of street gangs and violent extremist organizations.19 • The World Organization for Resource Development and Education (WORDE) has published an Instructor’s Manual for Developing a Community-Led Approach to Countering Violent Extremism. In particular, Module 2 provides an overview of potential factors that contribute to youth becoming vulnerable to radicalization.20 • For a case study on the online radicalization and recruitment techniques utilized by violent extremists like ISIS, refer to an article published by the New York Times on a young woman from Washington that was radicalized online.21 This article also illustrates how multiple, overlapping potential risk factors can make an individual vulnerable to recruitment. • For a case study on the radicalization of a former neo-Nazi, refer to this video featuring Christian Picciolini who explains how he was radicalized as a teenager to CBS News correspondent Dean Reynolds.22 • The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has an interactive website that records the number of hate groups active in the US.23 When these groups engage in violence, they are considered violent extremist organizations.

4.1 Opening

Review the definition of an upstander.

Upstander - An individual that is present during a crisis, public safety incident, and/or incident of injustice, hate and/or bias, and takes an active role to facilitate positive action.

4.2 Upstander Skills Development

18 https://www.lifeafterhate.org/ 19 http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00MPHK.pdf 20 http://www.worde.org/publications/an-instructors-manual-for-developing-a-community-led-approach-to-countering- violent-extremism-cve/ 21 Rukmini Callimachi, “ISIS and the Lonely American,” New York Times, June 27, 2015 22 “Former Neo-Nazi Explains his Radicalization,” CBS Evening News, June 23, 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMkHzB7-nHo 23 “Hate Groups 1999-2016,” Southern Poverty Law Center, Updated February 15, 2017 https://www.splcenter.org/hate-map

This activity helps participants increase knowledge and awareness of resources that they can turn to if they think an individual may be mobilizing towards violence and applying critical thinking skills to address various scenarios. The activity can also guide them towards reaching out to trusted adults (e.g. teachers, counselors, coaches, school resource officer, or religious leaders) who might be able to assist them further. Previous studies, for example “Evaluation of a Multi-Faceted, U.S. Community-Based, Muslim-Led CVE Program” notes that “peers should be trained on what to say, and how to say it, in [countering violent extremism]- relevant contexts24. Additionally, such training should include opportunities for peers to practice/role play such interventions, because that would provide trainees with the chance to develop the “verbal scripts” (i.e., language) that feel most authentic to them.” This same resource notes that the four critical stages in the role play should include: Noticing an emergency in the making; Interpreting the event as an emergency; Knowing appropriate forms of assistance; The decision to implement help. Keep these points in mind during the role- playing.

The point of this discussion is to instill ‘upstander’ skills, as well as for peer influencers to understand the barriers to help-seeking behaviors so that they can guide their peers in accessing help from a trusted adult.

The role of peer influencers in vicariously promoting help seeking behaviors has been noted in several studies. In “Evaluation of a Multi-Faceted, U.S. Community-Based, Muslim-Led CVE Program,” for example, the authors note that peers are best positioned to help those in their social network intervene – even at risk of potentially damaging their peer- relationships:

“As expected, fear of damaging one’s peer-relationships tended to reduce individuals’ willingness to intervene in CVE contexts, and peer gatekeepers seemed least willing to reach out to law enforcement (vs. other modes of intervention). Fortunately, when such fear was at its greatest, peer gatekeepers tended to be most willing—despite their fears—to intervene. Therefore, there remains great promise in peer-gatekeeping as a means of locally- led, individually focused, early [countering violent extremism] intervention.”

Throughout the exercise, students should be instructed to call 911 for any scenarios that represent an imminent harm to self or others.

Activity: Read a scenario to the class that represents an escalating crisis and break for questions/ discussion after each new “social media post” is read aloud.

24 William Evans, John Horgan, Michael Williams, “Evaluation of a Multi-Faceted, U.S. Community-Based, Muslim-Led CVE Program” NIJ, 2016, https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/249936.pdf

Scenario 1:

Jon is a sophomore at your school that doesn’t seem to have many friends. You notice the following social media posts:

Post 1 – Ugh people are the absolute worst. I am so sick of how stupid people are.

Ask: Would you approach Jon? What would you say?

• Initiate conversation and friendly banter (i.e. “Hey Jon. How is it going?”)

Ask: What other steps would you take as an upstander?

• Sample responses may include: tell your friends that you are worried about Jon, try and include Jon in conversation and activities, befriend Jon

Post 2 – One of these days I am going to show people that they can’t mess with me anymore.

Ask: Would you approach Jon? What would you say?

• “Hey Jon. Is everything ok?” • “Is there anything I can help with?”

Ask: What other steps would you take as an upstander?

• Sample responses may include: tell your friends that you are worried about Jon, try and include Jon in conversation and activities, let a teacher or counselor know that you are worried about Jon, refer Jon to one of the programs on the resource list

Post 3 – Tomorrow. You are all dead.

Ask: Would you approach Jon? What would you say?

• It may not be safe to approach Jon directly.

Ask: What other steps would you take as an upstander?

Call 911 or an anonymous tip line (provided on the handout) and report that Jon may be making threats

Scenario 2:

Sara has been a friend for the past several years and you notice the following social media posts.

Post 1 – Why should I have to be friends with people from other races? They are all idiots that serve no positive purpose.

Ask: Would you approach Sara? What would you say?

• Initiate conversation with Sara about her viewpoints and try to provide education on how that language is hateful (i.e. “Hey Sara. I was worried about some of your posts. What made you post that? That kind of language is very discriminatory and could offend some of our close friends.”)

Ask: What other steps would you take as an upstander?

• Post articles and content that promote diversity/inclusivity; organize events around educating others about hate speech and bias related incidents, etc.

Post 2 – The world would be a better place if we eliminated the inferior races and there was only one race – mine of course!

Ask: Would you approach Sara? What would you say?

• Initiate conversation with Sara about her viewpoints and try to provide education on how that language can lead to hate based violence (i.e. “Hey Sara. I am worried about your recent post. Are you threatening to actually do something?)

Ask: What other steps would you take as an upstander?

• Post articles and content that promote diversity/inclusivity; organize events around educating others about hate speech and bias related incidents, etc., tell a trusted adult that you are worried about some of Sara’s posts. • Ask Sara to think about other ways to improve the world.

Post 3 – A little bit of kerosene and one match…done and done. That’s all it takes to teach others a lesson…

Ask: Would you approach Sara? What would you say?

• Contact law enforcement, an anonymous tip line and tell a trusted adult even if Sara tells you that she is just joking

4.3 Violent Extremism Overview

This section reviews violent extremism, radicalization and mobilization to violence and provides an opportunity for students to synthesize knowledge and skills learned. The section aims to promote attitudes that preventative action can be taken to assist youth who may be targeted by recruiters and other online predators.

Ask: What are some examples of violent extremist organizations or movements that we have discussed (Can refer back to activity 4.2)?

Review the definition of violent extremism.

Violent Extremism – ideologically motivated violence that furthers social, political and economic goals. “Ideological” means that it is related to larger beliefs and ideas. That means that this violence is different from someone shooting someone on the street randomly as a part of the robbery.

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: Summarize participant responses and note the following during the discussion:

There are a number of violent extremist movements active around the world and here in the US. They include nationalist movements like the KKK, anti-state Sovereign Citizens, issue-based extremists like eco-terrorists, or anti-abortion violent activists, ideologically motivated gangs (specifically groups that use a particular ideology to justify their use of violence), and groups like ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Al-Shabab, and the Taliban.

Activity: Show two short video clips that feature perspectives from individuals who have engaged in violent extremism to facilitate the discussion questions below.

Tips for facilitators in picking an appropriate video clip

Dos Don’ts

Select a clip that highlights the Do not select a theoretical clip that perspectives of an individual who has discusses violent extremism broadly engaged in violent extremism

Select a clip that is 5 minutes or shorter Do not select a lengthy film or clip [Note: if clip is longer than 5 minutes, select a 5-minute excerpt only]

Select clips that address two different Do not select two clips of people who types of violent extremism have radicalized to the same type of violent extremism.

Select a clip that addresses why the Do not select a clip that does not focus person supported or joined the on motivating factors and merely movement. glorifies violence and/or illegal/illicit activity

Sample Clips-

- “How the KKK Preys on American Veterans: VICE reports (Part 1)”25 – An excerpt from a VICE report on how the KKK recruits and appeals to former American veterans. [7:34; Available on YouTube] - “American Jihadist Moner Mohammad AbuSalha” – An excerpt from a martyrdom video of the first American suicide bomber in Syria26. [4:32; Available on YouTube]

Ask: What are your initial reactions/thoughts after watching these videos?

Facilitator should be careful not to romanticize violent extremism. It will be important to direct the conversation to negative consequences of violent extremism and positive alternatives to violent extremism throughout the discussion.

Ask: Why do you think people join movements or organizations that engage in violent extremism?

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: Summarize participants’ answers and note the following points:

Incentives for Joining: Violent extremists offer a number of incentives for people to join including monetary incentives, and other psycho-social benefits like the feeling of respect, or belonging to a group. For individuals who are feeling disconnected from their peers, or disregarded from broader society – violent extremist groups can feel like a new family. In particular, for individuals who do not have that type of support coming from elsewhere, it can be exciting and make them feel better about themselves.

25 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXIYQxMN9-4 26 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSvby5YS6Ec

It can also make people feel like their life has a purpose, or that there is an important mission for them to complete.

However, as we have discussed in this program there are much better, safer, more constructive ways to get all of these things that do not involve joining one of these groups.

Recruitment: Sometimes people feel like they are making a choice in joining one of these organizations. However, they are often brainwashed by recruiters who promise them a better life that often does not come (similar to cults). Recruiters want to increase their numbers and will manipulate and use people to get them to join their movement no matter what. For example, let’s say you are into social justice and there is a cause you care about. They will agree with you and say, “Yeah that’s really important! Join us and we will help you make that happen!” In addition, it is important to keep in mind that violent extremist recruiters use the same types of ‘grooming’ tactics to lure people as sexual predators do.

Grooming – Deliberate tactics and strategies used by an individual to identify, prepare and influence another person towards engaging in abusive relationships and/or destructive behaviors (i.e. joining a gang, joining a violent extremist organization, engaging in illicit sexual activity, etc.). Grooming often involves establishing emotional, social, and material (money, gifts, etc.) connections to a target in order to gain trust, sympathy and ultimately dependence. They also use controlling tactics, to isolate their victims. For example, they may try to encouraging secrecy, by suggesting “Don’t tell anyone about your interest, they will not understand what we’re fighting for.”

Ask: What are some of the negative consequences of joining a violent extremist group?

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: Summarize participants’ answers and note the following points:

• You may lose important family and friends • Violent extremist groups often disconnect you from your family and friends. They can brainwash you into thinking that they are your “real family” • You can go to jail for a very long time if you engage in violence • Especially for murder, arson, etc. • For people who want to travel abroad to join a group like ISIS, they are immediately arrested on their return. • You can lose your life • For example, Dylann Roof received the death penalty, whereas others have died in shootouts with police. It is not a matter of if but when.

Ask: Since many people join violent extremism movements to give their lives a sense of purpose, what are some alternatives or positive things that give our life purpose or worth living? What makes us feel good about ourselves and that we belong?

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: If participants struggle to provide answers, note that they can spend time with people that care about them, spend time doing something that they enjoy (hobby, sports activity, etc.), advocating for important social justice causes, volunteering for humanitarian issues, creating a public awareness campaign on an issue; using art to express your viewpoints on issues that matter to you, etc.

Ask: What are some of the signs that someone may be considering mobilization to violence?

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: Summarize participant answers and note the following:

There are no proven indicators that someone will turn to violent extremism. Radicalization is a multi-faceted, non-linear process, and often entails overlapping potential factors that contribute to one’s tendencies towards violence. So, while we cannot predict who may engage in violence, we can at least familiarize ourselves with some factors that might indicate that someone would benefit from some type of assistance like counseling, mentoring, or other pro-social activity like volunteering.

Some of those indicators may include:

• Becoming increasingly withdrawn, nonresponsive, or secretive. • Expressing views online or in person that condone the use of violence or praise those that engage in violence. (Remind students again that increased religiosity/spirituality and/or political activism is NOT a sign of mobilization to violence.) • Posting messages online or in person about the intention to commit a violent act • Unusual accumulation of weapons or materials that can be used in a particular attack (guns, ammunition, pressure cookers, etc.) • Surveillance of potential targets • Discussing potential attack plans • Posting messages online or in person about wanting to “martyr” oneself

Ask: If someone is actively mobilizing towards violence (threatening to harm themselves or others), what are some reasons as to why a bystander may not intervene, provide assistance and/or be an upstander in these situations?

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: Summarize participant answers and include the following barriers in the conversation:

• They do not know who to turn to for help • Due to the bystander effect and the assumption that someone else will provide assistance so they do not have to • They do not know what they can do to help or how to make a difference • They fear for their own safety • They do not think they should have to help (“every man for themselves”) • A belief that violence cannot be prevented

Ask: Sometimes, upstanders have the power to save lives. If someone is actively mobilizing towards violence (threatening to harm themselves or others), how could you intervene, provide assistance and/or be an upstander in these situations?

Facilitators should make handouts of school, neighborhood, county and national organizations and individuals that participants can turn to for crisis and other support services.

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: Summarize participant answers and note the following:

• Turn to trusted adults (think back to lesson one where we talked about trusted adults, role models, change makers and positive leaders in our school / workplace / faith- based centers and broader community – the teachers, sports coaches, school resource officers, religious leaders, older siblings, etc.) • There are people and places that you can turn to for crisis assistance (see handout) • You should not assume that someone else will provide assistance as the bystander effect shows that under this assumption, no one ends up providing assistance • You should never intervene in any way that makes you feel unsafe. An alternative is to find a way to provide assistance anonymously (i.e. if someone posts that they want to kill themselves, you can anonymously report to a tip line on the handout) • Upstanders strive to provide assistance whenever they can and it is safe to do so

Key points to re-iterate:

• Remind students that in emergency situations that represent an imminent harm to self or others, they should call 911. • Remind students that in non-emergency situations, referring individuals to counselors or social workers is vital so that they can use structured professional judgment to assess which additional resources to provide students (e.g. counseling, mentoring, enrollment in pro-social activities, etc.).

4.4 Closing

Ask: What is one thing you are taking away from today? This can be something you learned, it can be a new skill or it can be an idea for something you would like to do differently.

Lesson #5 | Bullying & Cyber Bullying

BRIEF INTRODUCTORY NOTE FOR FACILITATORS

Addressing bullying and cyber bullying will require participants to apply critical skills of being an upstander online and offline. This lesson will provide participants with knowledge and awareness of different forms of bullying and related psychosocial consequences of bullying. The lesson will also provide information on signs of bullying and how to help individuals who may be targets of bullying. The lesson will include role-playing activities to practice skills in being an effective upstander during incidents of bullying.

Purpose: To increase help-seeking behaviors in the context of bullying/cyber-bullying

MODULE OUTLINE:

Module Outline

Section Description Time

5.1 – Overview of Provides an overview of bullying types, 30 Minutes Bullying consequences and signs

5.2 – Upstander Skill Small group role-playing activity to apply 30 Minutes Development Part 1 upstander skills

5.3 – Upstander Skill Large group role-playing activity to apply 20 Minutes Development Part 2 upstander skills

5.4 - Closing Discusses potential follow-up 10 minutes assignments and provides an opportunity for youth to integrate their learning

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After completing the lesson, the students will be able to:

1. Summarize various types of bullying and their effects on a personal and community level 2. Identify the signs of bullying 3. Apply skills in providing psycho-social support to targets of bullying and facilitating positive change in the lives of targets of bullying 4. Identify local resources for addressing bullying to increase help-seeking behaviors 5. Define upstander, bullying, cyber bullying, identity-based bullying, and empathy.

KEY TERMS

12. Upstander – An individual that is present during a crisis, public safety incident, and/or incident of injustice, hate and/or bias, and takes an active role to facilitate positive action. 13. Bullying – Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Both individuals who are bullied and the bully may struggle with serious, lasting psycho-social problems.27 14. Identity Based Bullying - Identity-based bullying resides in the intersection of bullying and bias. It is defined as any form of bullying related to characteristics considered part of a person’s identity or perceived identity group, such as race, religion, disability, immigration status, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical appearance, etc. Because identity-based bullying targets who the student is—a core part of their identity—it can be especially harmful. It impacts not only the individual student but everyone else around them who identifies in the same way and who worries that they may be the next target. It also affects the rest of the school community by sending a message that anyone’s identity is fair game.28 15. Cyber bullying – Cyber bullying is bullying that takes place using electronic technology. Electronic technology includes devices and equipment such as cell phones, computers, and tablets as well as communication tools including social media sites, text messages, chat, and websites.29 16. Empathy – The ability to try and understand or feel what an individual may be going through from their point of view.

FACILITATOR PREPARATION REQUIRED

5 Review curriculum 6 Compile and print handouts for resources (Section 5.1) 7 Compile and print scenarios for activity (Section 5.2 and 5.3)

MATERIALS NEEDED

4 Paper for scenarios and handouts on local resources (Section 5.2 and 5.3)

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES & SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

• This lesson draws from Chapter 4 of WORDE’s Cyber Civility Manual30

27 https://www.stopbullying.gov/what-is-bullying/definition/index.html 28 https://www.edutopia.org/article/what-is-identity-based-bullying-jinnie-spiegler 29 https://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/what-is-it/index.html 30 http://www.worde.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/WORDE-Cyber-Civility-Curriculum-Teachers-Manual.pdf

• Stopbullying.gov is a federal government website that provides information from various government agencies on what bullying is, what cyber bullying is, who is at risk, and how you can prevent and respond to bullying.31 • The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) provides lesson plans from K-12 on topics including bullying, hate and bias.32

5.1 Overview of Bullying

Bullying often occurs when there is a lack of empathy or sympathy towards others. This activity is designed to help participants learn more about each other, in an effort to ‘humanize’ and empathize each other. By discovering what is true/false about each other, they will practice critical thinking skills and learn not to make assumptions.

Activity: In a large group, ask each student to share two statements about themselves, one true statement and one false statement. The rest of the group will have to guess which statement is false. Go around the room until all students have had a turn.

[Note. In a smaller group, ask each student to share three statements about themselves, two true statements and one false statement. The rest of the group will have to guess which statement is false. Go around the room until all students have had a turn. This activity is commonly referred to as “Two Truths and a Lie.”]

This discussion increases a sense of belonging, decreases feelings of marginalization and can break down “us vs. them” mentalities by tapping into our skills of empathy. The discussion also frames empathy within a framework of trust, pride and loyalty when discussing our community connections to individuals.

Discuss with students:

Bullying – Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Both individuals who are bullied and the bully may struggle with serious, lasting psycho-social problems.33

Examples include making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, excluding someone on purpose.

Identity Based Bullying - Identity-based bullying resides in the intersection of bullying and bias. It is defined as any form of bullying related to characteristics

31 https://www.stopbullying.gov/index.html 32 https://www.adl.org/education-and-resources/resources-for-educators-parents-families/lesson-plans 33 https://www.stopbullying.gov/what-is-bullying/definition/index.html

considered part of a person’s identity or perceived identity group, such as race, religion, disability, immigration status, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical appearance, etc. Because identity-based bullying targets who the student is—a core part of their identity—it can be especially hurtful. It impacts not only the victim but everyone else around them who identifies in the same way and who worries that they may be the next target. It also affects the rest of the school community by sending a message that anyone’s identity is fair game.34

Cyber bullying – Cyber bullying is bullying that takes place using electronic technology. Electronic technology includes devices and equipment such as cell phones, computers, and tablets as well as communication tools including social media sites, text messages, chat, and websites.

Examples of cyber bullying include mean text messages or emails, rumors sent by email or posted on social networking sites, and embarrassing pictures, videos, websites, or fake profiles. 35

Ask: When you get to know a person, why do you think it would become harder to bully them?

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: Summarize participants’ answers, refer back to the opening activity, and throughout the discussion note the following:

When we get to know people and relate to them on a personal or community level, we feel a connection/bond that ties us together through bonds of loyalty. We can also feel more empathy for individuals. Empathy is the ability to try and understand or feel what an individual may be going through from their point of view.

Ask: What are the effects of bullying?

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: Summarize participants’ answers and throughout the discussion note the following36:

• Depression and anxiety, increased feelings of sadness and loneliness, changes in sleep and eating patterns, and loss of interest in activities one used to enjoy. Note that these issues may persist into adulthood.

34 https://www.edutopia.org/article/what-is-identity-based-bullying-jinnie-spiegler 35 https://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/what-is-it/index.html 36 https://www.stopbullying.gov/at-risk/effects/index.html

• Health complaints (e.g. stress headaches, heartburn, heart palpitations).

• Decreased academic achievement—GPA and standardized test scores—and school participation. They are more likely to miss, skip, or drop out of school.

Ask: If you think someone may be a victim of bullying but you haven’t witnessed it directly, what are some potential signs of bullying?

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: Summarize participants’ answers and throughout the discussion note the following37:

• Unexplainable injuries

• Lost or destroyed clothing, books, electronics, or jewelry

• Frequent headaches or stomach aches, feeling sick or faking illness

• Changes in eating habits, like suddenly skipping meals or binge eating. Kids may come home from school hungry because they did not eat lunch.

• Difficulty sleeping or frequent nightmares

• Declining grades, loss of interest in schoolwork, or not wanting to go to school

• Sudden loss of friends or avoidance of social situations

• Feelings of helplessness or decreased self esteem

• Self-destructive behaviors such as running away from home, harming themselves, or talking about suicide

Ask: How can targets of bullying cope with or handle bullying?

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: Summarize participants’ answers and throughout the discussion note the following:

Cyber bullying can be hurtful and embarrassing. Targets may not want to admit that they have been a target out of fear of losing more friends or appearing “weak.” However, isolating oneself and bottling emotions can lead to additional negative consequences.

The following may be helpful strategies:

37 https://www.stopbullying.gov/at-risk/warning-signs/index.html

• Report bullying whenever you can. • Seek support: One of the best things that you can do is to reach out to a trusted adult such as a close friend, family member, teacher, youth leader, etc. for emotional support or to connect with others who may be going through a similar situation. • Immerse yourself in activities that make you feel good: Hobbies, sports, art, hanging out with friends, etc. Try and limit your time on solitary activities in favor of hobbies that may foster more connections with others. • Positive self- talk: Remember that bullying is never your fault and that you do not deserve to be bullied. Remind yourself that it will get better. Explore things that you like and value about yourself (what are your strengths?) and ways that you help others in small ways. If you have a tough time thinking of positive things to say about yourself, write it out in a notebook or on sticky notes that you can put in places where you can see them. Ask those closest to you for ideas. • Anger management: Deep breathing for several counts to help calm yourself. • Journaling: Sharing stressful experiences in a private journal can help you process your emotions and provide an opportunity to practice positive self-talk • Create a public awareness campaign with your friends to inform your peers about the negative consequences of bullying as an effort to reduce its prevalence in your school. • Remember you will overcome this. If you or a friend are ever contemplating suicide, reach out to a trusted adult and call the National Suicide Hotline. • Seek counseling: Sometimes a professional can help us process our thoughts and emotions around bullying. • Contact 911 if you feel that your life or someone else’s may be in danger. • Especially in cases of identity-based bullying, seek local and national organizations or figures that are advocating for you and your community and join the cause.

Prepare a handout with local information on reporting and responding to bullying and cyber bullying in your school, county, and state.

5.2 Upstander Skill Development

Ask: How can we help targets of bullying or cyber bullying?

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: Summarize participants’ answers and throughout the discussion note the following:

• Provide support through listening • Try and understand the situation from their point of view • Direct them to resources that may be able to help

Role Playing Activity: Break up into teams of three. Hand out scenarios highlighting bullying and cyber bullying incidents that target a particular individual. Have participants take turns filling the following roles:

1) Person who was the target of bullying 2) A person who says things that are helpful and supportive 3) A person who says things that are unhelpful and unsupportive (This person is not a bully so do provide demeaning or humiliating responses.)

Person 1 will disclose the incident of bullying to Person 2 and Person 3. Person 2 will try and be as supportive as possible while person 3 is not supportive (i.e. says things that may include, “it’s not a big deal” or “get over it” or changes the topic to themselves).

After the-role play, answer the below discussion questions as a group.

Note: Students should not articulate any slurs / derogatory comments to carry out the role playing. The activity only requires students to act out how to respond/react to the incident. Facilitator and/or helpers should be walking around the room monitoring the role-plays to ensure that the activity does not turn into an exercise in bullying or an outlet for mean, hurtful comments.

Facilitators should be prepared with 5-7 scenarios to facilitate the activity. Scenarios should include a lens of bullying and/or cyber bullying.

Tips for facilitators to draft appropriate scenarios include:

Dos Don’ts

Draft scenarios that are short and to the Do not draft long or complicated point scenarios

Draft scenarios that specify a particular Do not draft scenarios where there is example of bullying not a specific example of bullying

Draft diverse scenarios that touch upon Do not draft scenarios that deal with a various topics and are relevant to limited number of issue sets different communities

Draft a scenario that vary the Do not draft scenarios that only include perpetrators of bullying to include one type of perpetrator students, teachers, other adults, etc.

Include at least one scenario that Do not draft scenarios that omit represents a crisis in which the correct scenarios where specific action is course of action is to contact law required enforcement

Sample Scenarios:

• A student is called a racial slur by another student in the hallway in front of other students who all said nothing to help • A teacher makes a racist comment to a student in class and everyone laughs, etc. • A student discloses that while walking home from school, a motorist screamed racial slurs at her • A student is bullied about his sexual orientation online on a popular social media platform • A student receives a death threat from another student

Students should be encouraged to call 911 for any scenarios that represent an imminent harm to self or others.

Ask: What were some of the helpful things that people said or did? What were the unhelpful things?

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: Summarize participants’ answers on the board and note the following during the discussion:

Tips for how to provide empathetic, non-judgmental support as an up-stander:

• Try to see things from the other person’s point of view. Ask yourself: How might this incident be specifically impacting this person? What are some of the challenges particular to this person specifically?

• Take a non-judgmental stance and do not rush to talk about how bullying could have been avoided or was in some way the victim’s fault. Rather listen to the other person and be present. (While he/she is talking, ask yourself: are you really listening or are you just thinking about what you will say to respond and how you feel about the situation?)

• Be aware of what you are saying and how you say it. Ask yourself, what attitude are you conveying through your words and body language? What message are you sending? After the person speaks, reflect back some of their language and words to let them know that you are listening (i.e. “It must have been really tough for you to feel that you had no one to turn to.”) This can be very supporting and validating for the individual who wants others to understand or even acknowledge what they went through. (You can also ask, “Did I get that right?”). You can also ask if there is anything more that you can do to help. [Note: don’t underestimate the power of how much you are doing by just listening, validating and offering a non-judgmental stance].

• Ask the person what they would like to do or what they need from others, rather than jumping in with your own suggestions too quickly.

• Let the individual know how his/her story made you feel to help foster a connection and convey that you are “on his/her side.” (Be careful though not to make the conversation about you).

• Remember that bullying can lead to low self-confidence so make sure to tell victims of bullying about their strengths and positive ways in which they contribute to those around them. Remember to be specific with examples or someone is less likely to believe you.

• Don’t be afraid to say something and even just smile to others - it can save lives!

5.3 Upstander Skill Development Part 2

This activity empowers youth to be up-standers, which can increase feelings of belonging and decrease feelings of marginalization. The activity can also decrease feelings of helplessness in distressing situations, which can increase one’s sense of purpose and a more positive self-image. The scenarios can also increase vicarious help-seeking behaviors as youth acknowledge trusted adults. The scenarios can also connect youth to law enforcement by acknowledging emergency situations where it may be necessary to call 911.

Role Playing Activity: As a class, select scenarios from activity 6.3 at random and role-play as a class. Have participants take turns filling the following roles:

Person 1 will disclose the incident of bullying to Person 2 and Person 3. Person 2 will try and be as supportive as possible (using specific examples from the discussion in 6.3) while person 3 is not supportive (i.e. says things that may include, “it’s not a big deal” or “get over it” or changes the topic to themselves).

Participants in the audience will “tap out” Person 1 – 3 so that everyone had a chance to participate.

Discussion Questions:

Ask: What was the most difficult part about being an upstander?

Ask: What do youth need to overcome those challenges?

Ask: If a situation is getting out hand, which type of trusted adult would you turn to for help? (i.e. teacher, coach, counselor, school resource officer, etc.).

Ask: What might prevent you from reaching out to becoming an upstander, or asking someone else to get help?

Ask: What is an example of a situation that can get so bad that you may want to reach out the police or call 911?

Students should be encouraged to call 911 for any scenarios that represent an imminent harm to self or others.

5.4 Closing

Ask: What is one thing you are taking away from today? This can be something you learned, it can be a new skill or it can be an idea for something you would like to do differently.

Lesson #6 | Crisis Intervention

BRIEF INTRODUCTORY NOTE FOR FACILITATORS

This lesson will assist participants in increasing vicarious help-seeking behaviors and peer-gate keeping skills by understanding and identifying various crises and discussing how they may be able to provide assistance to individuals in crisis. Although this chapter only focuses on specific types of crises, the help-seeking skills participants gain can be utilized in multiple scenarios. In addition, this lesson also explores poetry/spoken word as a means to raise awareness about crisis and different ways that youth can get assistance.

Purpose: To increase knowledge and awareness of crisis situations (especially as it relates to destructive and violent behaviors); To increase help-seeking behaviors and identify upstanders in these contexts

MODULE OUTLINE:

Module Outline

Section Description Time

6.1 – Crisis Overview Provides an overview of the different 20 Minutes types of crisis and warning signs of a crisis

6.2 – Crisis Explores crisis scenarios and discusses 30 Minutes Intervention Skills ways that participants can be upstanders

6.3 – Using Creativity Uses poetry and spoken word as an outlet 30 Minutes to Address Crisis to raise awareness of crisis

6.4 - Closing Discusses potential follow-up 10 minutes assignments and provides an opportunity for youth to integrate their learning

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After completing the lesson, the students will be able to: 1. Recognize different types of cyber crisis 2. Identify warning signs of a crisis 3. Identify resources and ways to assist individuals in a crisis

4. Apply techniques in poetry and spoken work as an outlet for raising awareness about crisis

KEY TERMS

17. Upstander – An individual that is present during a crisis, public safety incident, and/or incident of injustice, hate and/or bias, and takes an active role to facilitate positive action. 18. Crisis - An individual engages in or broadcasts their intent to engage in behaviors that may harm themselves or others including behavioral health instability, trauma/abuse/neglect, personal loss, significant life changes, harassment/victimization, etc. 19. Cyber Crisis - An individual broadcasts (through text messages, emails, pictures/memes, social media posts, or videos) their intent to engage in, or, their active involvement in behaviors that may harm themselves or others. 20. Online Disinhibition Effect – A phenomena in which people act differently online than they do in person. 21. Spoken Word – A broad designation for poetry intended for performance. Though some spoken word poetry may also be published on the page, the genre has its roots in oral traditions and performance. Spoken word can encompass or contain elements of rap, hip-hop, storytelling, theater, and jazz, rock, blues, and folk music.38

FACILITATOR PREPARATION REQUIRED

8 Review curriculum 9 Compile and print handout of crisis resources (Section 6.2) 10 Compile and print scenarios for crisis intervention strategies (Section 6.2) 11 Compile and print articles for poetry activity (Section 6.3)

MATERIALS NEEDED

5 Computer & projector with sound capability (Section 6.1) 6 Paper for handouts, articles and writing activities (Section 6.2- 6.3)

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES & SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

• This lesson draws from Chapter 8 of WORDE’s Cyber Civility Manual39

38 https://www.poetryfoundation.org/learn/glossary-terms/spoken-word 39 http://www.worde.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/WORDE-Cyber-Civility-Curriculum-Teachers-Manual.pdf

6.1 Crisis Overview

Activity: Show participants the below Sandy Hook Public Service Announcement (PSA) that highlights how in some cases, there may be signs that someone is in crisis and/or in need of assistance. Inform participants that although we are not always in a position to prevent a crisis (and are not to be blamed or shamed in a crisis), there may be some crises where we can offer assistance. As upstanders, participants should be encouraged to provide assistance in a potential crisis if possible and safe to do so.

The PSA [2.28 minutes] depicts an active shooter in the steps leading up to a mass shooting and is available on YouTube.40

The PSA may be emotionally charged and not appropriate for all audiences. Ensure that you have enough time to process student reactions.

Ask: What are your initial thoughts / reaction to this video?

Ask: What are some ways in which an upstander can potentially take action in these kinds of situations?

During conversation, be sure to stress how students are never ultimately at fault for failing to prevent a crisis. Otherwise, the discussion may compound feelings of guilt and shame for not having been able to prevent prior trauma, abuse and violence on a personal, family and/or community level.

Ask: What are some examples of a potential crisis? [Provide the below definition]

40 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Er_HugcPmJ8

Crisis - An individual engages in or broadcasts their intent to engage in behaviors that may harm themselves or others including behavioral health instability, trauma/abuse/neglect, personal loss, significant life changes, harassment/victimization, etc.

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: Summarize participants’ answers and note the following during the discussion:

• Types of Harm o Harm directed towards the self or inward: Individuals may direct harmful thoughts, emotions, and actions toward themselves. Often in this case, individuals are confronting a challenging life stressor that they perceive they cannot adequately manage through personal resources and/or social support. o Harm directed towards others or outward: Individuals may direct harmful thoughts, emotions, and actions towards others people through physical or verbal aggression, hostility, discrimination, bullying, etc. In some cases, individuals feel violence is justified to address their underlying grievances / concerns.

There are many types of crises, however for the purposes of this curriculum, we will focus on the following: • Depression and anxiety that can lead to suicide or other destructive behaviors (e.g. cutting, self-mutilation, etc.). • Unhealthy concepts of self-image and eating disorders (e.g. anorexia and bulimia) • Homicidal ideation (having thoughts about homicide / murder) • Joining a gang or a violent extremist organization • Drug abuse

Ask: What are some warning signs of a crisis?

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: Summarize participants’ answers and note the following during the discussion:

Crises can begin online or offline.

Cyber Crisis - An individual broadcasts (through text messages, emails, pictures/memes, social media posts, or videos) their intent to engage in, or, their active involvement in behaviors that may harm themselves or others.

Crises are often triggered by a number of factors, including mental illnesses, victimization, personal loss, feeling a loss of control in one’s life, harassment (e.g. cyber bullying), neglect, trauma, abuse (i.e. domestic abuse, intimate partner violence), and the manipulation of an online predator.

A crisis can occur suddenly but often develop slowly over time and may be difficult to notice at first. Mental health crisis that involve suicide or harm to others are usually the result of many events over time. This is why prevention is so important. And it is important to step in if it is safe to do so. Individuals often use social media as a method of communicating different points of crisis. Sometimes, people even state explicitly their intent to harm themselves or others but people do not do anything.

Indications that someone may be in a cyber crisis can become apparent on social media, because individuals in crisis may be more comfortable disclosing what they’re going through on digital media than they would in person – in part because they feel they can share their feelings anonymously, and also because of the online disinhibition effect (a phenomenon in which people act differently online than they do in person).

Social media status updates, such as “I haven’t slept for days”… “I can’t take this anymore” … “I can barely eat” … “I’ve lost all hope” may be warning signs that someone is in a cyber crisis. If you notice that one of your friends is acting differently, or not ‘sounding like themselves’ in their posts or text messages, ask them if there is something they want to talk about. At different points, individuals may also post on social media seeking support from peers to disengage from harmful behavior. It is important to take a call for help seriously as you never know when it may be their last.

Additional Warning Signs (offline and online)-

• Negative changes in mood • Feeling hopeless or helpless • No longer engaging in activities that were at one point enjoyable • Changing behaviors (at school, home, neighborhood) • Being overly paranoid, suspicious, or secretive.

6.2 – Crisis Intervention Skills

This following activity helps participants increase knowledge and awareness of resources that they can turn to if they think an individual may be in crisis and role-playing

Activity: Divide participants into groups of 4 people and provide each group with 2-3 prompts that highlight a crisis scenario in which an upstander can potentially take action. Assign participants to the following roles:

Participant 1-2: Bystanders that believe that action should NOT be taken to intervene

Participant 3-4: Upstanders that believe that action should be taken to intervene

During the role play, participants should discuss if action should be taken and defend their points for 5 minutes. The remaining 5 minutes should be used to brainstorm different ways in which upstanders can potentially provide assistance. Facilitator should note that in some scenarios, it may not be advisable to engage the individual that is in crisis (especially when participants do not feel comfortable or believe that it would not be safe to do so). In these cases, participants will be encouraged to immediately notify a trusted adult or law enforcement.

Facilitators should be prepared with 5-7 scenarios to facilitate the activity. Scenarios should include a particular crisis including behavioral health instability, trauma/abuse/neglect, personal loss, significant life changes, harassment/victimization/predators, etc.

Tips for facilitators to draft appropriate scenarios include:

Dos Don’ts

Draft scenarios that are short and to the Do not draft long or complicated point scenarios

Draft scenarios that ask students “what Do not draft scenarios where there are you would do” in regard to a specific no potential action items to be taken situation

Draft diverse scenarios that touch upon Do not draft scenarios that deal with a various topics and are relevant to limited number of issue sets different communities

Draft a variety of scenarios; some will Do not draft scenarios that leave no necessitate clear/definitive course of room for debate or nuance action and others will be up for debate

Include at least one scenario that Do not draft scenarios that omit represent a crisis in which there is a scenarios where there is a violent violent extremism connection extremism connection or other topics relevant to the program

Include at least two scenarios that Do not draft scenarios that omit represent a crisis in which the correct scenarios where specific action is course of action is to contact law required enforcement

Sample Scenarios:

• A friend at school tells you he regularly drives home after drinking and last night was worried he may have drunk too much. • A cousin tells you that he is going to shoot and kill someone from a rival neighborhood • A friend tells you that an older relative has been sexually abusing her since she was a kid

Students should be instructed to call 911 for any scenarios that represent an imminent harm to self or others.

Ask: What are some ways to assist individuals who may be going through a crisis? You can refer back to student role plays for ideas/discussion.

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: Summarize participants’ answers and note the following during the discussion:

• Early interventions o Crisis may include “warning” posts that indicate an individual’s vulnerability to engage in harmful behaviors. For example, prior to posting a suicide note n social media, a depressed individual may share dad messages and pictures. Similarly, someone struggling with maintaining a healthy self-image may

post self-deprecating messages about their weight. This may not necessarily mean the individual will engage in harmful behaviors but it indicates their vulnerability. Early interventions can further prevent vulnerable individuals from engaging in destructive actions. ▪ Be supportive: Demonstrate your willingness to be there for your friends and to help them understand what they are going through. • Words of support include: o I’m here for you, if you want to talk this through o I can go with you to talk to a trusted adult; you don’t have to do this alone o I’m proud of you for seeking help on this issue. ▪ Demonstrate empathy: Try and understand things from their point of view without being judgmental or claiming to have all the answers. • Potential ways to demonstrate empathetic concerns: o It must be so difficult to feel this way. I am sorry you are in so much pain. o I can’t imagine how difficult this must be for you. o Every situation is different. I have been in a similar situation though and I remember how difficult it can be. I’m here if you need any help. • Interventions with the assistance of a trusted adult o When someone is engaging in harmful behavior, the first step is to ensure the safety of all individuals involved, and then to contact a trusted adult for help. In some cases, the individual may benefit from mental health counseling.

Facilitators should make handouts of school, neighborhood, county and national organizations and individuals that participants can turn to for crisis and other support services.

Students should be instructed to call 911 for any scenarios that represent an imminent harm to self or others.

6.3 - Using Creativity to Address Crises

This activities/discussion will highlight participants articulate the importance of supporting individuals that may be going through a crisis. The poetry spoken word activity can help create positive outlets to address individual and community crisis and can increase a sense of control, self-esteem, sense of purpose and decrease feelings of helplessness. In the

Spoken Word – A broad designation for poetry intended for performance. Though some spoken word poetry may also be published on the page, the genre has its roots in oral traditions and performance. Spoken word can encompass or contain elements of rap, hip-hop, storytelling, theater, and jazz, rock, blues, and folk music.41

Activity: Poetry and spoken word can an effective outlet for addressing individual and community crisis. The following activity will help us to write poetry/spoken word pieces about crisis and direct people towards support.

1) Pass out social media posts and brief articles that discuss crisis including behavioral health instability, trauma/abuse/neglect, personal loss, significant life changes, harassment/victimization/predators, etc. 2) Ask students to read the posts/article and underline 5 or 6 key words and phrases that stick out to them. 3) On a separate piece of paper (“Paper A”), write these key words or phrases from the article on a separate line and leave a blank space between each line. Put this paper aside. 4) On a new piece of paper (“Paper B”), ask students to “free-write” for five minutes about their reaction to the article. Provide the following instructions- a. You can write anything that you like and do NOT have to share these reflections out loud as it can be very personal. b. You have to keep your pen and pencil moving at all times. c. If you are stuck and do not know what to write, just keep re-writing the last word that you wrote until something new comes to your mind. d. Do not stop writing until time is up. There is no going back and reading what you wrote or crossing anything out. Just write without judgment about what you are writing or how it sounds. Just write! 5) Briefly look over what you wrote and underline 5 or 6 key words or phrases that stand out to you from your free-write. This can be something that you feel is powerful, well stated or that simply stands out to you. These will go into your poem and you will have the choice to share them with the group so keep that in mind in terms of privacy. 6) Go back to “Paper A” and in the blank spaces, write the 5 or 6 phrases that you underlined from your free-write. 7) Add one to two lines encouraging individuals to seek support during a crisis and recommend at least one source of support. 8) Read your poem to yourself and edit any words and phrases that you like but note that very minimal editing may be needed.

41 https://www.poetryfoundation.org/learn/glossary-terms/spoken-word

9) Share your poem with the group if you feel comfortable doing so. Keep the following tips in mind when performing your poem-

- In your poem, underline phrases where you want to put the most emotion and direct people’s energy

- Practice varying the speed, emotion, and tone at various points of your poem.

Facilitators should be prepared with 5-7 articles to facilitate the activity. Articles should highlight a particular crisis including behavioral health instability, trauma/abuse/neglect, personal loss, significant life changes, harassment/victimization/predators, etc.

Tips for facilitators to draft appropriate articles include:

Dos Don’ts

Select articles that are short and to the Do not select long or complicated point – one page or less articles

Select articles that note a particular Do not select articles where there is not crisis a specific example of a crisis

Select articles that touch upon various Do not select articles that deal with a crisis and are relevant to different limited number of issue sets communities

Select articles that are relevant to local Do not select articles that ignore local community events or incidents community events or incidents

Include at least two articles that discuss Do not fail to select articles that discuss issues of violent extremism issues of violent extremism or other topics relevant to the program

6.4 Closing

Ask: What is one thing you are taking away from today? This can be something you learned, it can be a new skill or it can be an idea for something you would like to do differently.

Lesson #7 | Advocacy

BRIEF INTRODUCTORY NOTE FOR FACILITATORS

This lesson will help youth increase self-esteem and sense of purpose as they advocate for causes that they believe in. The activities will increase group cohesion and interpersonal connections while discussions can alleviate feelings of helplessness and provide youth with a positive outlet for change and help youth feel a sense of control and purpose.

Purpose: To develop the skills of advocacy as it relates to help-seeking behaviors

MODULE OUTLINE:

Module Outline

Section Description Time

7.1 - Opening Shares poems and spoken word pieces 10 Minutes from 6.3

7.2 – Advocacy Defines advocacy and provides an 20 Minutes Activity experiential activity that illustrates the concept

7.3 – Advocacy Causes Identifies advocacy causes and agents of 20 Minutes change

7.4 – Talking Points Applies advocacy principles through 30 Minutes Activity developing talking points and participating in role plays

7.5 - Closing Discusses potential follow-up 10 minutes assignments and provides an opportunity for youth to integrate their learning

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After completing the lesson, the students will be able to: 1. Define and identify steps towards advocacy 2. Apply advocacy strategies to being an upstander

KEY TERMS

22. Upstander – An individual that is present during a crisis, public safety incident, and/or incident of injustice, hate and/or bias, and takes an active role to facilitate positive action. 23. Advocacy - The process by which we rally support for a cause that we believe in and put forth our recommendations for solutions and ways to help.

FACILITATOR PREPARATION REQUIRED

12 Review curriculum 13 Compile and print handout of advocacy resources (Section 7.2) 14 Compile videos for examples of advocacy (Section 7.2) 15 Print handouts 7.3 and 7.4

MATERIALS NEEDED

7 Computer & projector with sound capability (Section 7.2) 8 Paper for advocacy resources and handouts (Section 7.2-7.4)

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES & SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

• This lesson draws from Chapter 7 of WORDE’s Cyber Civility Manual42

7.1 Opening

Activity: Follow up from activity 6.3 and ask students to read aloud poems / spoken word pieces that they composed.

Ask: How can upstanders use poetry and spoken word in crisis situations?

Review the definition of an upstander.

Upstander – An individual that is present during a crisis, public safety incident, and/or incident of injustice, hate and/or bias, and takes an active role to facilitate positive action.

7.2 Advocacy Activity

Advocacy is the process by which we rally support for a cause that we believe in and put forth our recommendations for solutions and ways to help.

42 http://www.worde.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/WORDE-Cyber-Civility-Curriculum-Teachers-Manual.pdf

Activity: Read the following scenario aloud to participants to demonstrate advocacy:

The Global Citizen Forum wins a trip to the fictional country of D’nalyram. Once we arrive in country, our first trip is on a boat to explore the beaches and island off shore. Once we are ship-bound, a huge storm comes and knocks us off course. Luckily, we are able to dock onto a small island to weather the storm. However, the next morning we realize that no one lives on the Island and there are no phones or computers to communicate with anyone in D’nalyram or Maryland. We examine our boat and discover that it is broken beyond repair. However, there is a box of emergency supplies that includes a raft (that can only fit half of the class), food supplies to last four weeks and an ax to chop wood. The problem though is that the box of supplies has been badly damaged and you can only get access to either the raft, the food or the ax (no exceptions!). You have to choose one and it is not possible to get access to the other compartments once you decide which compartment to open.

Divide the group into three teams and assign each one to advocate for a different compartment. Each team must answer the following:

1) Why should your compartment be the one that is chosen? How is yours the most useful? 2) In what ways are the other compartments less useful? 3) What are the arguments against your compartment being the most useful? What do you think other groups would say and how can you counter their arguments?

This exercise is an example of advocacy. Advocacy is the process by which we rally support for a cause that we believe in and put forth our recommendations for solutions and ways to help.

7.3 Advocacy Causes

Ask: What are some causes that we can advocate for?

Ask: What are some ways that we can advocate for these things?

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: Summarize participants’ suggestions following the discussion: Can include raising awareness through memes, songs and other art forms; organizing petitions; organizing humanitarian appeals like fundraisers; advocating for political change through public forums at school and in the County.

Activity: Provide clips of youth advocating for change and include at least one of each category:

1) A youth speaking at a public hearing 2) A youth speaking on an issue with a global significance 3) Youth working together on a humanitarian issue

Tips for facilitators in picking an appropriate video clip

Dos Don’ts

Select a clip that highlights the Do not select a clip that fails to center achievements of a youth advocate on a particular example of an individual or organization but rather discusses advocacy or activism broadly

Select a clip that is 5 minutes or shorter Do not select a lengthy film or clip

Select a clip that will resonate with the Do not select a clip that may be diversity of your participants. offensive to participants

Select a clip that students will find fun, Do not select a clip that is dry or overly interesting or enjoyable academic/theoretical

Select a clip that is inspirational and Do not select a clip that presents a conveys positive messages about how hopeless or apathetic stance towards participants can become advocates social issues; do not select a clip that is sexually explicit or glorifies violence and/or illegal/illicit activity

Ask: How is this individual or organization advocating for change?

Ask: What can we do that is similar for some of the causes that we listed?

Facilitators should make handouts of school, neighborhood, county and national organizations and individuals that participants can join for advocacy related purposes

7.4: Talking Points Activity

Activity: Complete handout 7.3, “Talking Points Worksheet” with a partner.

Role Playing Activity: Ask a team to volunteer to use their talking points to advocate for their issue when speaking to a county council member or member of congress (played by the facilitator). In the role-play, the facilitator should ask questions including:

1) Why are you here? What do you want? 2) Why should I care about this issue? Why is it important? 3) What do you want me to do about it? (Note: give pushback on some of these suggestions)

This activity will help students use their talking points to engage people in power (especially in high pressure situations where people may not be interested in hearing from them). If there is time, allow participants to role-play with each other and with different talking points.

7.5 Closing

Ask: What is one thing you are taking away from today? This can be something you learned, it can be a new skill or it can be an idea for something you would like to do differently.

Follow up Activity: Disseminate Handout 7.4 and ask students to copy their talking points into a letter to someone in a position of power- county council member, congressman, school board, school, etc.

Global Citizen Forum Handout 7.3 – “Talking Points Worksheet”

Advocacy is the process by which we rally support for a cause or ideas/recommendations that we have on social issues that are important to us. When advocating for an issue that you are passionate about it is helpful to have a list of talking points. Talking points are short statements that help us explain why an issue is important to us and list some of our suggestions on how to improve the situation.

Sometimes short talking points can be useful when we have a short amount of time to get our message out to the public. A valid criticism is that some people get stuck in their particular talking points and are not always open to hearing from people with different viewpoints. This exercise will help us to use our talking points to engage with others with the purpose of promoting our message while learning from others’ messages.

Part 1: Think of an issue that you are passionate about and complete the following questions.

I want to change: (example: I want to change the fact that so many students are being bullied)

I know it is a problem in my community because:

Insert a specific statistic, incident or fact that supports your point. (example: Last year, a 14- year-old girl in Maryland was bullied so badly that she committed suicide)

Insert a story or personal example about what you know about the problem and how it may relate to you personally (example: I know a lot of people who have been bullied like my cousin who was bullied so badly he had to change schools)

This has to change because:

One idea that I have that can help is:

Part 2: Share your talking points with another team and complete the following questions.

What is one thing you learned when hearing someone else’s talking points? (example: learned about a new issue, learned ideas for suggestions that could promote change, etc.)

How can you help with their issue?

Global Citizen Forum Handout 7.4 – “Seven Pro-tips for developing effective advocacy campaigns”

Pro Tips for Developing an Effective Online Advocacy Campaign from Rabia Chaudry, Advocate for Adnan Syeed in popular Serial Podcast and New York Times Best Selling Author

1. Define your cause and develop a catchy name for your campaign: Ideally it should be something that can be easily remembered and adapted into a hashtag. For example, when young schoolgirls were kidnapped in Nigeria in 2014, the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls was used to raise awareness about human trafficking around the world. 2. Identify your audience – and tailor your messages and campaign accordingly: For example, professionals may be more persuaded to join your cause by reading articles, whereas students may be more inclined to support your cause after watching an informative short video. In addition, some audiences may appreciate humor, whereas others may find an emotional pitch more appealing. 3. Educate people about your cause: Use powerful messages, photos and videos to convey information about your cause, why it is important, and why other people should care about this issue. 4. Utilize multiple platforms to keep your supporters informed: Effective campaigns use a combination of resources like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Google Hangouts, Reddit, podcasts, apps, electronic newsletters and websites / blogs, etc., to keep supporters informed about the campaign, its latest activities and its progress. 5. Define your goals: Be clear about your campaign’s purpose, and how you intend to achieve your goals. Ask yourself: Is there a certain number of people you want to inform about a particular issue? Do I want people to pledge or commit towards something? Or do I want individuals to sign a petition to pressure policymakers to enact a reform? 6. Develop a fundraising strategy: Digital media has made fundraising and crowdfunding easier with websites like Kickstarter and LaunchGood. Effective fundraising pitches may include short videos that inform individuals about the objectives and importance of the campaign. 7. Bring a celebrity on board: Celebrities or well-respected figures can help champion your cause and give it greater visibility. For example, the ONE campaign, which seeks to end extreme poverty and preventable diseases, is championed by Bono, the

lead singer of the popular band, U2. Similarly, Emma Watson, who played Hermione in Harry Potter, is a spokesperson for gender equality issues.

Source: Rabia Chaudry, “Lets Blog it Out” workshop presentation at the International Cultural Center, Montgomery Village, MD, May 3, 2015

Lesson #8 | Review & Closing

BRIEF INTRODUCTORY NOTE FOR FACILITATORS

This lesson will review curriculum, lessons learned and disseminate certificates of completion.

MODULE OUTLINE:

Module Outline

Section Description Time

8.1 - Opening Discusses follow-up activity from 7.5 10 Minutes

8.2 – Group Review curriculum and lessons learned 70 Minutes Discussion

8.3 – Closing Disseminates certificates 10 Minutes

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After completing the lesson, the students will be able to: 3. Review material learned 4. Receive certificates of completion

FACILITATOR PREPARATION REQUIRED

16 Review curriculum 17 Compile handouts of all key terms and resources for support, crisis and advocacy (Section 8.2) 18 Compile and print certificates (Section 8.3)

MATERIALS NEEDED

9 Paper for handouts (Section 8.2) 10 Certificates (Section 8.3)

10.1 Opening

Activity: Follow up from activity 7.5 and ask students to hand in assignments.

Ask: How can upstanders use letter-writing for change?

Review the definition of an upstander.

Upstander – An individual that is present during a crisis, public safety incident, and/or incident of injustice, hate and/or bias, and takes an active role to facilitate positive action.

8.2 Group Discussion

Facilitators should distribute handouts of all key terms and all prior handouts on resources for support, crisis and advocacy.

Ask: What were the biggest skills or lessons that you learned through the Global Citizen Forum?

Ask: What skills or lessons did you put into practice over the course of the program? What were some of the challenges that you encountered and how did you overcome those challenges?

Ask: What advice do you have to inspire other students to be upstanders?

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: Summarize participants’ answers during the discussion and direct students to knowledge and skills to recognize and understand destructive behaviors in their peers (including hate and bias-related incidents, gang recruitment, violent extremism, etc.), improved attitudes towards help-seeking behaviors, reducing the bystander effect and utilizing upstander skills to take a stand and facilitate change.

8.3 Closing

Activity: Handout certificates of completion.

Read aloud the following quote: “We don't have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in the process of change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.” – Howard Zinn

Facilitator should include an additional quote on advocacy and social justice from a source that would resonate with participants.

Supplemental Lesson: Hate Speech

BRIEF INTRODUCTORY NOTE FOR FACILITATORS

This lesson will help participants better understand the connection between being an upstander in their communities as well as online. Participants will also explore how digital media can be a platform for social change as well as an outlet for potentially dangerous behaviors and speech.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

6. Define terms including freedom of speech, dangerous speech, and hate speech

7. Summarize social, personal and legal consequences of inappropriate digital media use

KEY TERMS

14. Freedom of Speech – A right enshrined in the First Amendment which states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” There may be some exceptions such as speech that causes an imminent and direct threat of harm to others (i.e. falsely shouting “fire” in a crowded theatre)

15. Dangerous Speech – Dangerous speech is any form of expression (speech, text, or images) that could incite or guide individuals in carrying out violence against members of another group.

16. Hate Speech – Legal definitions and laws regarding hate speech vary in each jurisdiction. However, generally, hate speech is considered “speech that offends, threatens, or insults groups, based on race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or other traits.”43

17. Bias-related incidents - Language and/or behaviors which demonstrate bias against persons because of, but not limited to, others’ actual or perceived: color, disability,

43 “Students in Action: Debating the Mighty Constitutional Opposites – Debating Hate Speech,” American Bar, https://www.americanbar.org/groups/public_education/initiatives_awards/students_in_action/debate_hate.html

ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, national origin, race, religion, and/ or sexual orientation.44

18. Hate or “bias-related” crimes – A criminal act that demonstrates the perpetrator’s prejudice against the victim’s actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, family responsibility, physical handicap, matriculation, or political affiliation.45

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES & SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

• The Dangerous Speech Project explores the link between speech and violence. The FAQ section in particular may be useful to facilitators for defining key terms and understanding the importance of freedom of speech.46

• Not in Our Town is a movement to stop hate, address bullying, and build safe, inclusive communities for all and provides resources for schools, communities and law enforcement.47

• The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) published an article on “Developing Ethical Direction” that deals with issues of digital citizenship and ethical decision making in digital scenarios.48

2.6 Cyber Civility, Freedom of Speech and Dangerous Speech

Discuss with students:

One of the biggest debates in the issues of cyber civility is often the question of maintaining the freedom of speech. Freedom of Speech – is a right enshrined in the first amendment, which states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” There may be some exceptions such as speech that causes an imminent and direct threat of harm to others (i.e. falsely shouting “fire” in a crowded theatre)

However, while the government protects citizens’ freedom and right to individual speech, there are still consequences to hateful or offensive speech. For example, if students yell racial slurs or epithets to teachers or other students, this can violate school policies or codes of conduct against bullying and students may be punished or penalized accordingly.

44 “What is a Bias Related Incident?” Georgetown University https://biasreporting.georgetown.edu/what-is-a- bias-incident 45 ibid. 46 “Dangerous Speech,” https://dangerousspeech.org/ 47 “Not in Our Town,” https://www.niot.org/about-us 48 “Developing Ethical Direction,” International Society for Teaching in Education, 2005, http://digitalcitizenship.net/uploads/ISTECompass.pdf

Similarly, some online platforms (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) are companies that reserve the right to enforce policies against offensive content, which may include deleting the content and banning users that repeatedly fail to adhere to user policies.

Ask: What is hate speech? What makes speech potentially dangerous?

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: Facilitators should provide the following definitions:

Hate Speech – Legal definitions and laws regarding hate speech vary in each jurisdiction. However, generally, hate speech is considered “speech that offends, threatens, or insults groups, based on race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or other traits.”49

Dangerous Speech – Dangerous speech is any form of expression (speech, text, or images) that could incite or guide individuals in carrying out violence against members of another group. It often includes language that dehumanizes a particular group of people as a “danger” or “cancer” that need to be eradicated or destroyed.

Ask: Should hate speech or dangerous speech be illegal or banned?

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: Summarize students’ answers and note the following:

Although hate speech or dangerous speech cannot be punishable by law, there may still be consequences to individuals. There can be rules against hate speech or dangerous speech in schools, workplaces, online platforms, etc. as well as social consequences

Ask: What are some social or legal consequences an individual can experience if using digital media inappropriately like engaging in hate speech or dangerous speech?

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: Summarize students’ answers and note the following:

• Damage friendships, make you or others feel alienated

• School could impose disciplinary action or it could affect teachers/staff/peers at school

• Employers may take action depending on what you post

49 “Students in Action: Debating the Mighty Constitutional Opposites – Debating Hate Speech,” American Bar, https://www.americanbar.org/groups/public_education/initiatives_awards/students_in_action/debate_hate.html

• You may be kicked off of certain social media sites/platforms

• Legal- different states have different penalties; MD has aggressive laws regarding cyber-bullying, slander and privacy laws and sexting.

Provide information on relevant disciplinary action and consequences to using digital media inappropriately or engaging in hate speech or dangerous speech that is specific to your school, county and state.

Ask: What can you do as an upstander to counter hate speech or dangerous speech?

Instructor Action Item/Follow-up: Summarize students’ answers and note the following:

• Report hate speech and dangerous speech on various social media platforms, to schools and employers where applicable

• Provide support to individuals who may be the target of hate speech or dangerous speech through words of support and affirmation

• Raise awareness of the negative effects of hate speech and dangerous speech

• Advocate for the rights of marginalized communities

• Inform a teacher, trusted adult or law enforcement if you feel that you or someone you know may be in physical danger

Remind students that in all emergency situations, students should be instructed to call 911. If facilitator is unclear if the situation is an emergency, he/she should consult law enforcement.

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION TO LOCAL & GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP Our Learning Objectives

List topics that will be Define the terms – discussed & establish community and global guidelines. citizenship.

Identify community Describe what constitutes protective factors and positive community leaders challenges. and influencers

Where were What is one you raised? What is your country that OR name? you would like Where are to visit? you from?

Why did you choose to What are some things take part in the we can do today so program? everyone feels What about this program comfortable, respected would make this and welcome here worthwhile for you? today?

Repeat the statement “Tell Me One Thing About Yourself” to your partner. Ask this question over and over again, allowing your partner to answer differently each time.

Students should proceed for 60 seconds before switching. Think about different parts of your identity! © WORDE Group Discussion

What are your initial reactions or thoughts looking at this list?

Were there some items on this list that were particularly interesting or surprising to you?

What items are on this list that perhaps you did not think of but also apply to who you are?

What are some of the similarities and differences?

A group of people that share a particular trait, characteristic, experience or tradition such as an ethnicity, religion, geographic region, interest, group membership etc.

This can include attending the same school, sharing an ethnic heritage or being fans of the same sports team.

While communities may have some shared history, practices, attitudes and interests, it is important to remember that there can be as much diversity within communities as there is across communities.

In what ways are you connected to or part of global cultures and communities?

There are different interpretations of the notion of global citizenship. A common understanding is a sense of belonging to broader community, beyond national boundaries that emphasizes our common humanity and draws on the interconnectedness between the local and the global, the national and the international.

What are some positive What are some ways in which being a challenges that we have part of a community has as members of these helped us or made us communities? better as a result?

A term that applies to individuals that are present during a crisis and/or incident of injustice, hate and/or bias, and take an active role to facilitate positive action as opposed to a passive bystander who does nothing.

Who can name some of these figures?

What are some of the positive or helpful qualities about these figures?

Family Member School Counselor Teacher School Administrator (e.g. principal) Social Worker Faith Leader Sports Coach After School Club Sponsor School resource officer (SRO) or local police officer Volunteer Coordinator

Sometimes these resources are hard to access. What are some of the obstacles to building trust or access© WORDE to these figures? Potential Upstanders Family Member School Counselor Teacher School Administrator (e.g. principal) Social Worker Faith Leader Sports Coach After School Club Sponsor

School resource officer (SRO) or local police officer Volunteer Coordinator Are these the same people you would turn to for help if you were ever struggling with something, for example, if someone was harassing you or bullying you, or if you were concerned that your best friend had an eating disorder but didn’t know what to do?© WORDE Global Upstanders

Who can name Which of these some positive qualities do you community feel like you have? influencers or role What makes them Which of these models that are agents of positive qualities do you well known around change? feel like you want the world, to have or improve including even upon? historical figures?

What is one thing you are taking away from today?

Identify rights and Recognize the difference responsibilities of community between rights and members in local and global responsibilities. contexts.

Define the terms – Civil Rights, Civic Duty / Responsibility, Civil Rights Apply principles to local and Leaders / Activists, Social global scenarios. Justice, Advocacy, Humanitarianism.

Take turns picking one scenario

What are your rights and responsibilities in this situation?

Discuss

A Right is something you are owed and deserve. For example, the Declaration of Independence states you have “the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

“Somewhere I read of the freedom of assembly. Somewhere I read of the freedom of speech. Somewhere I read of the freedom of press. Somewhere I read that the greatness of America is the right to protest for rights. And so just as I said, we aren't going to let dogs or water hoses turn us around. We aren't going to let any injunction turn us around. We are going on.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

What are some rights that you think need to be protected?

What are examples of injustice you are seeing in the community?

A responsibility is a duty to do something for others.

You could be a humanitarian – someone who is concerned with advancing the welfare of others by providing direct assistance.

Or you could be an advocate – someone who taps into their civic responsibility to promote change.

Can someone give me an example of an advocacy campaign that you’ve participated in?

Insert video clip above. Sample Clip: So I Made it to Harvard”: Rihanna Receives Harvard’s Humanitarian Award

What is one thing that you think you could do that may help others or make the world a better place?

What are some issues What are some of our that you care about on a rights and global level? responsibilities to the global community?

Someone who understands interconnectedness, respects and values diversity, has the ability to challenge injustice, and takes action in personally meaningful ways.

A phenomena where multiple individuals are present during a crisis, public safety incident, and/or incident of injustice, hate and/or bias but do not take action because it is assumed that someone else who is present will take action, or that action is unnecessary.

What are some consequences of being a bystander?

Why do you think someone might hesitate to be an upstander?

If you can’t be an upstander in a moment of crisis, or as an incident is unfolding, what can you do afterwards to take positive action? How can upstanders use art for social change? © WORDE Closing

What is one thing you are taking away from today?

View pictures of every day leaders in the community, and select one that you identify with.

Create a hashtag related to what is happening in their picture. Add a tagline or slogan that relates to community leadership

Share the image and hashtag with the group

Discuss factors that Define the terms – sexual contribute to youth becoming predator, grooming, violent vulnerable to online extremism, radicalization, and predators. mobiliztion.

Identify signs of mobilization Apply technique in assisting to violence and/or other individuals who may be destructive behaviors vulnerable to online predators

Pay particular attention to signs of “grooming” Grooming – Deliberate tactics and strategies used by an individual to identify, prepare and influence another person towards engaging in abusive relationships and/or destructive behaviors (i.e. joining a gang, joining a violent extremist organization, engaging in illicit sexual activity, etc.). Grooming often involves establishing emotional, social, and material (money, gifts, etc.) connections to a target in order to gain trust, sympathy and ultimately dependence.

Think about ways in which you may have been able to assist Karen as an upstander. Upstander – An individual that is present during a crisis, public safety incident, and/or incident of injustice, hate and/or bias, and takes an active role to facilitate positive action. © WORDE What are Sexual Predators?

Someone who pursues another *characterized by a person for sexually “predatory” related offenses such pattern of behaviors as rape, sexual towards grooming and assault, pedophilia, engaging a etc. target

What are ways that you can help Karen as an Upstander – An individual upstander? that is present during a crisis, public safety incident, and/or incident What are examples of of injustice, hate and/or things that students did bias, and takes an active that were not helpful to role to facilitate positive Karen? action.

Family Member School Counselor Teacher School Administrator (e.g. principal) Social Worker Faith Leader Sports Coach After School Club Sponsor

School resource officer (SRO) Volunteer Coordinator or local police officer

In lesson one we talked about trusted adults, role models, change makers and positive leaders in our school / workplace / faith-based centers and broader community. If you saw a friend in similar situation © WORDE as Karen, who would you turn to for help? Group Discussion

Grooming – Deliberate tactics and strategies used by an individual to identify, prepare and influence another person towards engaging in abusive relationships and/or destructive behaviors (i.e. joining a In what ways was gang, joining a violent extremist Karen “groomed” prior to the abuse? organization, engaging in illicit sexual activity, etc.). Grooming often involves establishing emotional, social, and material (money, gifts, etc.) connections to a target in order to gain trust, sympathy and ultimately dependence.

As a global citizen, what can we do to raise awareness of these issues and prevent friends from being taken advantage of, or manipulated like Karen?

Violent Extremism – ideologically motivated violence that furthers social, political and economic Who has an goals. “Ideological” means that it example from is related to larger beliefs and the news of an ideas that justify the use of individual who has engaged or violence to achieve change. That attempted to means that this violence is engage in a different from someone shooting violent someone on the street randomly extremist act? as a part of the robbery.

Anti-state or anarchist movements such as the Sovereign Citizens Nationalist movements like the KKK Ideologically motivated gangs engage in organized crime, justifying the Violent extremists that justify the use use of violence of violence based on radical based on a interpretations of a faith, such as Al- Issue-based particular extremist Qaeda, ISIS, Taliban, Al-Shabab, Boko extremists like ideology Haram related groups; or the 969 eco terrorists, Movement (a Buddhist extremist radical animal organization). rights activists, or anti-abortion violent activists © WORDE The Role of Religion

• It is important to note that belief in a particular religious does not make someone a violent extremist. • Even “religiosity” - the degree to which someone practices their faith, (for example, how often they go to church or a mosque) is not an indicator that someone may be vulnerable to radicalizing to one of these groups. • Indeed, studies indicate that a large number of those involved in terrorism do not practice their faith regularly.

The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) hold the belief that whites or Caucasians are a superior race (white supremacy). They advocate or engage in violence against people of other races because of their belief that those races are inferior.

Similarly, people who are a part of ISIS, believe that they are the true and best followers of Islam and the best Muslims. They want to kill all other Muslims and non-Muslims that disagree with their worldviews.

This is different from What are some Radicalization to engaging in non- things that could violent extremism violent radicalism, radicalize someone is the process by which is a belief that towards extreme which individuals social and/or hatred or come to believe political systems intolerance towards that violence is need to be others – or to necessary to fundamentally believe that violence achieve social and reformed or is a justifiable means political change. changed, without to achieve their the use of violence. goals?

Violence does not just happen one day. It is a result of many events, big and small, over time.

How do biases and What are some rivalries that individual acts of you can think of in your prejudice differ from community that can have having pride in our negative consequences? community and wanting What are some examples of our community to excel how this can lead to violence? and be the best?

Digital Platforms Are Used To: Similar• Radicalize to individuals in by spreading extremist messages “Karen’sthat provoke Story,” hatred and intolerance •howGain mightsupporters recruiters• Fundraise use • Communicate with their socialmembers media to • Coordinate their activities •engageMost violent young extremists also use digital media to people“broadcast and their spreadintent” or theirtell someone message? that they are about to engage in a violent or destructive activity. Real Photo from an ISIS Supporter on Instagram © WORDE What is Mobilization?

Mobilization is the process by which radicalized individuals take action to prepare for, participate in or support violent causes. This can include fundraising for extremist groups, making plans for violent actions (e.g. buying a plane ticket to support a foreign terrorist organization, or buying materials to make weapons).

Role Playing Activity: Break up into teams of four people and select a scenario. Read your scenarios that highlights incidents in which an upstander can potentially take action. Have participants take turns filling the following roles:

Participant 1-2: Bystanders that believe that action should NOT be taken to intervene

Participant 3-4: Upstanders that believe that action SHOULD be taken to intervene

What is one thing you are taking away from today?

Discuss factors that Define the terms – sexual contribute to youth becoming predator, grooming, violent vulnerable to online extremism, radicalization, and predators. mobiliztion.

Identify signs of mobilization Apply technique in assisting to violence and/or other individuals who may be destructive behaviors vulnerable to online predators

Jon is a sophomore at your school that doesn’t seem to have many friends. You notice the following social media posts:

Would you Post 1 – Ugh people are the absolute worst. I approach Jon? am so sick of how stupid people are. What would you say? Post 2 – One of these days I am going to show people that they can’t mess with me anymore. What other steps would you take as an Post 3 – Tomorrow. You are all dead. upstander? © WORDE Group Discussion

Sara has been a friend for the past several years and you notice the following social media posts.

Post 1 – Why should I have to be friends with Would you people from other races? They are all idiots that approach Sara? serve no positive purpose. What would you say? Post 2 – The world would be a better place if we eliminated the inferior races and there was only one race – mine of course! What other steps would Post 3 – A little bit of kerosene and one you take as an match…done and done. That’s all it takes to upstander? teach others© WORDEa lesson… What is Violent Extremism?

Violent Extremism – ideologically motivated violence that furthers social, political and economic What are some examples of goals. “Ideological” means that it violent is related to larger beliefs and extremist ideas that justify the use of organizations violence to achieve change. That or movements means that this violence is that we discussed in different from someone shooting the previous someone on the street randomly lesson? as a part of the robbery.

Insert video clip above. Sample Clip: “How the KKK Preys on American Veterans: VICE reports (Part 1)” – An excerpt from a VICE report on how the KKK recruits and appeals to former American veterans.

Insert video clip above. Sample Clip: “American Jihadist Moner Mohammad AbuSalha” – An excerpt from a martyrdom video of the first American suicide bomber in Syria

© WORDE Incentives for Joining • Monetary incentives Why• Other psycho do-social you benefits like think the feeling of respect, or belonging to a group. • For individuals who are feeling disconnected from their peoplepeers, or disregarded join from movements broader society – violent extremist groups can feel like a new family. In particular, for individuals who do not have that type of support or comingorganizations from elsewhere, it can be exciting that and make them feel better about themselves. • It can also make people feel like their life has a purpose, or engagethat there is an important in violent mission for them to complete. • As we have discussed in this program there are much better, extremism?safer, more constructive ways to get all of these things that do not involve joining one of these groups.

Sometimes people feel like they are making a choice in joining one of these organizations. However, they are often brainwashed by recruiters who promise them a better life that often does not come

Recruiters want to increase their numbers and will manipulate and use people to get them to join their movement no matter what.

In addition, it is important to keep in mind that violent extremist recruiters use the same types of ‘grooming’ tactics to lure people as sexual predators do. Grooming – Deliberate tactics and strategies used by an individual to identify, prepare and influence another person towards engaging in abusive relationships and/or destructive behaviors (i.e. joining a gang, joining a violent extremist organization, engaging in illicit sexual activity, etc.). Grooming often involves establishing emotional, social, and material (money, gifts, etc.) connections to a target in order to gain trust, sympathy and ultimately dependence. They also use controlling tactics, to isolate their victims. For example, they may try to encouraging secrecy, by suggesting “Don’t tell anyone about your interest, they will not understand what© WORDE we’re fighting for.” Negative Consequences of Joining an Extremist Group •WhatYou may are lose some important of the family and friends •negativeYou can go to jail for a very consequenceslong time if you engage of in joiningviolence a violent • You can lose your life extremist group?

© WORDE Alternatives to Joining a Violent Extremist Group Since• Spend many time with people people join that violent care about extremismthem movements to give their • Spend time doing something that they livesenjoy a (hobby,sense sportsof purpose, activity, etc.)what are some• Advocating alternatives for important or positive social justice things thatcauses give our life purpose or worth living?• Volunteering What for makes humanitarian us feel issues good • Creating a public awareness campaign on aboutan issue ourselves and that we belong?• Using art to express your viewpoints on issues that matter to you, etc. © WORDE What are some of the signs that someone may be considering mobilization to violence?

There are no proven indicators that someone will turn to violent extremism.

Radicalization is a multi-faceted, nonlinear process, and often entails overlapping potential factors that contribute to one’s tendencies towards violence.

So while we cannot predict who may engage in violence, we can at least familiarize ourselves with some factors that might indicate that someone would benefit from some type of assistance like counseling, mentoring, or other pro-social activity like volunteering. © WORDE Indicators that Someone May Need Help

Posting messages Expressing views online Becoming increasingly online or in person or in person that withdrawn, about the intention to condone the use of nonresponsive, or commit a violent act or violence or praise those secretive. wanting to “martyr” that engage in violence. oneself

Unusual accumulation of weapons or materials that can be Surveillance of Discussing potential used in a particular potential targets attack plans attack (guns, ammunition, pressure cookers, etc.)

© WORDE Bystander Arguements •If Theysomeone do not know is actively who to turn mobilizing to for help • Due to the bystander effect and the towardsassumption violence that someone (threatening else will provide toassistance harm themselves so they do not haveor others), to •whatThey doare not some know whatreasons they can as do to to help or how to make a difference •whyThey a fear bystander for their own may safety not •intervene,They do not thinkprovide they should assistance have to help (“every man for themselves”) •and/orA belief thatbe anviolence upstander cannot be in prevented these situations? © WORDE Upstander Arguments • Turn to trusted adults If• Theresomeone are people and placesis actively that you can turn mobilizing to for crisis assistance (see handout) towards• You should not assumeviolence that someone (threatening else will provide assistance to as the bystander effect shows that under this assumption, no one ends harmup providing themselves assistance or others), • You should never intervene in any way that makes you feel unsafe. An alternative is to find a way to provide assistance anonymously how(i.e. if someone could posts you that they intervene, want to kill themselves, you can anonymously report to a tip line on the handout) •provideUpstanders strive assistance to provide assistance and/or whenever they be can and an it is safe to do so upstander• In the case of an emergency in these where a situation situations? represents an imminent harm to self or others, call 911

What is one thing you are taking away from today?

BULLYING & CYBER BULLYING Our Learning Objectives

Summarize various types of Define the terms – upstander, bullying and their effects on a bullying, cyber bullying, personal and community identity based bullying, and level. empathy.

Identify signs of bullying & Identify local resources for apply skills in providing addressing bullying to psycho-social support to increase help-seeking targets of bulying and behaviors. facilitating positive change.

Share two statements about yourself, one true statement and one false statement. The rest of the group will have to guess which statement is false.

Bullying includes:

Both individuals Unwanted, The behavior is who are bullied and aggressive behavior repeated, or has the the bully may that involves a real potential to be struggle with or perceived power repeated, over serious, lasting imbalance time. psycho-social problems.

Examples include making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, excluding someone on purpose.

Identity-based bullying resides in the intersection of bullying and bias.

It is defined as any form of bullying related to characteristics considered part of a person’s identity or perceived identity group, such as race, religion, disability, immigration status, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical appearance, etc.

Because identity-based bullying targets who the student is—a core part of their identity—it can be especially hurtful.

It impacts not only the victim but everyone else around them who identifies in the same way and who worries that they may be the next target.

It also affects the rest of the school community by sending a message that anyone’s identity is fair game. © WORDE What is Cyber Bullying?

Electronic Examples of technology cyber bullying includes devices include mean and equipment text messages such as cell or emails, Cyber bullying phones, rumors sent by is bullying that computers, and email or posted takes place tablets as well on social using electronic as networking technology. communication sites, and tools including embarrassing social media pictures, videos, sites, text websites, or messages, chat, fake profiles. and websites.

When you get to know a person, why do you think it would become harder to bully them?

Empathy is the ability to try and understand or feel what an individual may be going through from their point of view.

Depression and anxiety, increased Decreased academic feelings of sadness and achievement—GPA loneliness, changes in Health complaints and standardized test sleep and eating (e.g. stress headaches, scores—and school patterns, and loss of heartburn, heart participation. They are interest in activities palpitations). more likely to miss, one used to enjoy. skip, or drop out of Note that these issues school. may persist into adulthood.

© WORDE Potential Signs of Bullying • Unexplainable injuries • Lost or destroyed clothing, books, electronics, or jewelry What• Frequent headaches are or stomach some aches, feeling sick or faking illness • Changes in eating habits, like suddenly skipping meals or binge potentialeating. Kids may come home signs from school hungryof because they did not eat lunch. • Difficulty sleeping or frequent nightmares bullying?• Declining grades, loss of interest in schoolwork, or not wanting to go to school • Sudden loss of friends or avoidance of social situations • Feelings of helplessness or decreased self esteem • Self-destructive behaviors such as running away from home, harming themselves, or talking about suicide

© WORDE Coping or Handling Bullying • Seek support • Immerse yourself in activities that make you feel good •HowPositive self can- talk targets of • Anger management bullying• Journaling cope with or • Create a public awareness campaign • If you or a friend are ever contemplating suicide, reach handleout to a trusted adultbullying? and call the National Suicide Hotline. • Seek counseling • Contact 911 if you feel that your life or someone else’s may be in danger. • Especially in cases of identity-based bullying, seek local and national organizations or figures that are advocating for you and your community and join the cause. © WORDE Coping or Handling Bullying • Provide support through listening • Try and understand the situation from their point of view •HowDirect them can to resources we that may help be able to help targets of bullying or cyber bullying?

Role Playing Activity: Break up into teams of three. Read your scenarios that highlights bullying and cyber bullying incidents that target a particular individual. Have participants take turns filling the following roles:

Person who was the target of bullying

A person who says things that are helpful and supportive

A person who says things that are unhelpful and unsupportive (This person is not a bully so do provide demeaning or humiliating responses.) © WORDE Group Discussion

What were What were some of the some of the helpful things unhelpful things that people said that people said or did? or did?

Role Playing Activity: As a class, select scenarios from activity 6.3 at random and role-play as a class. Have participants take turns filling the following roles:

1) Person who was the target of bullying 2) A person who says things that are helpful and supportive 3) A person who says things that are unhelpful and unsupportive Person 1 will disclose the incident of bullying to Person 2 and Person 3. Person 2 will try and be as supportive as possible (using specific examples from the discussion in 6.3) while person 3 is not supportive (i.e. says things that may include, “its not a big deal” or “get over it” or changes the topic to themselves).

Participants in the audience will “tap out” Person 1 – 3 so that everyone had a chance to participate. © WORDE Group Discussion

What was the What do youth most difficult need to part about being overcome those an upstander? challenges?

© WORDE Trusted Adults Family Member School Counselor Teacher School Administrator (e.g. principal) Social Worker Faith Leader Sports Coach After School Club Sponsor School resource officer (SRO) Volunteer Coordinator or local police officer

1. If a situation is getting out hand, which type of trusted adult would you turn to for help? 2. What might prevent you from reaching out to these adults? 3. What is an example of a situation that can get so bad that you may © WORDE want to reach out the police or call 911? Closing

What is one thing you are taking away from today?

CRISIS INTERVENTION Our Learning Objectives

Recognize different types Identify warning signs of of cyber crisis a crisis

Apply techniques in Identify resources and poetry and spoken work ways to assist individuals as an outlet for raising in a crisis awareness about crisis

What are your initial thoughts / reaction to this video?

What are some ways in which an upstander can potentially take action in these kind of situations? © WORDE What is a Crisis?

An individual engages in or broadcasts their intent to engage in behaviors that may harm What are themselves or others including some behavioral health instability, examples of trauma/abuse/neglect, personal a potential loss, significant life changes, crisis? harassment/victimization, etc.

Harm directed Harm directed towards the towards others self or inward or outward

Depression and anxiety that can lead to suicide or other destructive behaviors (e.g. cutting, self-mutilation, etc).

Unhealthy concepts of self-image and eating disorders (e.g. anorexia and bulimia)

Homicidal ideation (having thoughts about homicide / murder)

Joining a gang or a violent extremist organization

What are some warning signs of a crisis?

Role Playing Activity: Break up into teams of four people and select a scenario. Read your scenarios that highlights a crisis scenario in which an upstander can potentially take action. Have participants take turns filling the following roles:

Participant 1-2: Bystanders Participant 3-4: Upstanders that believe that action that believe that action should NOT be taken to SHOULD be taken to intervene intervene

A cyber crisis is when an individual broadcasts (through text messages, emails, pictures/memes, social media posts, or videos) their intent to engage in or, their active involvement in behaviors that may harm themselves or others.

Crises can begin online or offline. They Negative changes in mood are often triggered by a number of factors, including: Feeling hopeless or helpless

No longer engaging in activities Mental illnesses that were at one point enjoyable Victimization

Personal loss Changing behaviors (at school,

A crisis can can cause A crisis home, neighborhood) Feeling a loss of control in one’s life

Harassment (e.g. cyber bullying), neglect, trauma, abuse (i.e. domestic Being overly paranoid, abuse, intimate partner violence), and suspicious, or secretive. the manipulation of an online predator.

Individuals often use social media as a method of communicating different points of crisis.

Sometimes, people even state explicitly their intent to harm themselves or others but people do not do anything.

individuals in crisis may be more comfortable disclosing what they’re going through on digital media than they would in person

• Social media status updates, such as “I haven’t slept for days”… “I can’t take this anymore” … “I can barely eat” … “I’ve lost all hope” may be warning signs that someone is in a cyber crisis. • If you notice that one of your friends is acting differently, or not ‘sounding like themselves’ in their posts or text messages, ask them if there is something they want to talk about. • At different points, individuals may also post on social media seeking support from peers to disengage from harmful behavior.

It is important to take a call for help seriously

What are some ways to assist individuals

who may be going© WORDE through a crisis? WhatWords of are support things include: we can say • I’m here for you, if you want to talk or dothis to through be supportive? (i.e. demonstrate• I can go with youryou to willingnesstalk to a to betrusted there adult; for you your don’t friends have to do this alone and• I’m to proudhelp ofthem you for understand seeking help whaton they this issue. are going through)

© WORDE WhatPotential are ways tothings demonstrate we empatheticcan say or concerns: do• toIt must demonstrate be so difficult to feelempathy this way. I am? sorry you are in so much pain. (i.e.• I can’ttry imagineand understand how difficult this mustthings be for fromyou. their point of view without • Every situation is different. I have been in a beingsimilar judgmental situation though or and claiming I remember howto havedifficult all theit can answers.be. I’m here if )you need any help.

School resource officer (SRO) or local police officer Volunteer Coordinator When someone is engaging in harmful behavior, the first step is to ensure the safety of all individuals involved, and then to contact a trusted adult for help. In some cases, the individual may benefit © WORDE from mental health counseling. Spoken Work Activity

What is one thing you are taking away from today?

Work more on your poems and come prepared to share next week.

ADVOCACY Our Learning Objectives

Define and identify steps Apply advocacy strategies to towards advocacy being an upstander

Read aloud poems / spoken word pieces that you composed.

Advocacy is the process by which we rally support for a cause Why should your compartment be the one that we that is chosen? How is yours the most believe in useful? and put forth our In what ways are the other compartments recommend less useful? ations for solutions What are the arguments against your and ways to compartment being the most useful? What help. do you think other groups would say and how can you counter their arguments?

Advocacy is the process by which we rally support for a cause that we believe in and put forth our recommend What are some causes we can advocate for? ations for solutions and ways to What are some ways we can advocate for these causes? help.

Insert clip of a youth speaking at a public hearing

Insert clip of a youth speaking on an issue with a global significance

Insert clip of youth working together on a humanitarian issue

How are these What can we do individuals or that is similar organizations for some of the advocating for causes that we change? listed?

Divide into pairs and complete handout, “Talking Points Worksheet”

Bonus Role Play: Volunteer to use your talking points to advocate for your issue when speaking to a county council member or member of congress (played by the facilitator)

What is one thing you are taking away from today?

Copy your talking points into a letter to someone in a position of power- county council member, congressman, school board, school, etc.

REVIEW & CLOSING Our Learning Objectives

Receive certificates of Review material learned completion

Share your advocacy letters.

What skills or lessons did you put into practice over the course of What were some of the challenges the that you encountered? program? How did you overcome those challenges?

What advice do you have to inspire other students to be upstanders?

“We don't have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in the process of change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.” – Howard Zinn

Insert additional quote on advocacy and social justice from a source that would resonate with participants

©WORDE A Practitioner’s Guide to Additional ! Positive Youth in-depth ! Development & training for GCF ! facilitators! Violence Prevention

FreeWWW.SITE2MAX.PRO PowerPoint & KeyNote Templates Outline for Today

1. Defining Violent Extremism - Case studies of violent extremists 2. Positive Youth Development & Violence Prevention Programs 3. Prevention & Intervention Approaches - Treatment plan case studies 4. Review & Closing - Run through GCF curriculum

• What is violent extremism and how is it similar and different to other forms of youth violence? • How does the GCF program fulfill the objectives of youth violence prevention? • What positive assets and skills does GCF promote among youth participants? • What are the risk factors that GCF seeks to decrease among youth participants?

Preventing Violent Extremism

Ideologically motivated violence that furthers social, political and economic goals.

Anti-state or anarchist movements such as the Sovereign Citizens Nationalist movements like the KKK Ideologically motivated gangs engage in organized Violent extremists that justify the use crime, justifying the of violence based on radical Issue-based use of violence interpretations of a faith , such as Al- extremists like based on a Qaeda, ISIS, Taliban, Al-Shabab, Boko eco terrorists, particular extremist Haram related groups; or the 969 radical animal ideology Movement (a Buddhist extremist rights activists, or organization). anti-abortion violent activists

• A violent extremist is an individual who believes that violence is necessary or justified to advance a particular social, economic, or political goal. • They may act individually or be part of a larger group. • In the following section we will explore 4 case studies of violent extremists. • In each case study, consider each individual’s motivating ideology; act of violence; and the particular social, political, or economic goal that they are trying to advance through violence.

What is the act of violence?

What is the social, political, economic goal?

Mark joins a neo-nazi group online and shortly begins posting popular white supremacist slogans and going to marches and rallies. One day, Mark holds an amtrak train hostage with an arsenal of guns and ammo, threatening to start shooting. Mark’s social media postings reveal that he stated, “what we need is a race war to ignite change and violence is the only way to do it.”

What is the act of violence?

What is the social, political, economic goal?

Mark joins a neo-nazi group online and shortly begins posting popular white supremacist slogans and going to marches and rallies. One day, Mark holds an amtrak train hostage with an arsenal of guns and ammo, threatening to start shooting . Mark’s social media postings reveal that he stated, “what we need is a race war to ignite change and violence is the only way to do it.”

What is the act of violence?

What is the social, political, economic goal?

Janet connects with a group of sovereign citizens through an online forum and begins attending local gatherings. Janet begins telling her coworkers that the government only has power because they are backed by law enforcement, what she calls the “largest criminal gang in the country.” Janet tells her coworker that she is going to shoot the next cop that pulls her over and that she has started carrying a loaded gun in her car in preparation. She says that this is the only way to return people to power and end the domination of government and police.

What is the act of violence?

What is the social, political, economic goal?

What is the act of violence?

What is the social, political, economic goal?

Even though Selma moved to her new school in Maryland to escape bullying, she was dismayed to find that even now, she had few friends and little support. Her only comfort and connection was a boy she met online. Even though he lived all the way in the UK, she felt he was the only one that cared for her. As their friendship grew, Selma found herself passionate again about social justice, an issue that had always mattered to her but that she had fell out of touch with. Through her boyfriend, she learned about new issues affecting vulnerable populations around the world. In particular, he told her about how Muslims like them in the West were living in sin by not traveling to join their brothers and sisters overseas, in particular ISIS. Eventually Selma came to understand that she had to leave her life and travel abroad and join ISIS to support their holy war to establish and further a new utopian society (caliphate). Upon boarding her flight to follow through with her plan, she is apprehended by authorities. © WORDE ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Taliban, Al-Shabab, Boko Haram, etc. What is the ideology?

What is the act of violence?

What is the social, political, economic goal?

Even though Selma moved to her new school in Maryland to escape bullying, she was dismayed to find that even now, she had few friends and little support. Her only comfort and connection was a boy she met online. Even though he lived all the way in the UK, she felt he was the only one that cared for her. As their friendship grew, Selma found herself passionate again about social justice, an issue that had always mattered to her but that she had fell out of touch with. Through her boyfriend, she learned about new issues affecting vulnerable populations around the world. In particular, he told her about how Muslims like them in the West were living in sin by not traveling to join their brothers and sisters overseas, in particular ISIS. Eventually Selma came to understand that she had to leave her life and travel abroad and join ISIS to support their holy war to establish and further a new utopian society (caliphate). Upon boarding her flight to follow through with her plan, she is apprehended by authorities. © WORDE Issue-based extremists (e.g. eco- terrorists, anti-abortion extremists, What is the ideology? etc.)

What is the act of violence?

Planned Parenthood What is the social, political, shooter Robert Lewis economic goal? Dear

James was always known for his extreme anti-abortion views. Lately though, friends and coworkers began to notice that while James had always participated in non- violent protests and actions, he was starting to voice his support for activists that had engaged in violence. After the shooting of a prominent abortion doctor, James was vocal in support of the perpetrator while even his friends who had joined him in prior violent pretests were dismayed by his reaction. After several weeks, as media coverage of the shooting diminished, James told a co-worker that it was a shame and that he wants to vandalize a nearby abortion clinic so they “have something worthwhile to cover again” and so “abortion can finally be outlawed”.

What is the act of violence?

Planned Parenthood What is the social, political, shooter Robert Lewis economic goal? Dear

© WORDE 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing Scale of violence Violent extremists use violence or other criminal activity to achieve social, economic or political change. They can target their violence against a particular government, an individual, or a broader demographic (e.g. a religious sect). In many instances, like the Boston Marathon Bombing, their violence is indiscriminate. Through violence and other disruptive criminal activities, violent extremists aim to coerce civilian populations or to influence government police © WORDE © WORDE What are examples of social, political , and economic goals that these groups are trying to achieve?

• Create a new / utopian society where [a single demographic e.g. race; ethnicity; religion; sect] is dominant These goals can be shaped by a range • Eradicate the current system of personal experiences or beliefs that a governance and eliminate the federal violent extremist may have. For example, government’s authority. their goals could be influenced by: • Intimidate a government in retaliation • Extreme intolerance, of a political grievance. • Hatred of a particular demographic, • Enact the rule of God • Hopelessness and helplessness • Make the earth first by placing the • Fear or distrust that the central protection of nature above the government poses an existential promotion of humankind threat, • Stop the murdering of helpless • Extreme frustration or disillusionment children with politics Note: Holding “extreme” beliefs/ • Belief that only violence can achieve goals are NOT crimes. Committing fundamental change in society. violence or breaking laws to advance these beliefs IS a crime. © WORDE Differentiating violent extremists from other violent criminals: Consider the following hypothetical statements of criminals that explain their motives: • “I need money for drugs” • “I hate my neighbor because of her race and religion.” • “People from Narnia don’t deserve to live here – if anyone them walked in front of my car, I swear to God I’d run them over.” • “All non-believers deserve to die and I will kill them one by one if I have to.”

Which ones are ideologically motivated to advance a wider social, political or economic goal? © WORDE Case Study: Maria Garcia

In Nov 2018, Maria Garcia participated in anti- government protests. The protesters had a permit and and marched peacefully for several hours.

• Jill was an ardent social justice activist throughout her life and believed in the power of direct action and protests. • Jill posted a picture later on social media of and noted, “A new world is coming. Social, political, economic change is coming!”

This is NOT an example of Violent Extremism

In Nov 2018, Maria Garcia participated in anti- government protests. The protesters did not have a permit and were arrested by law enforcement.

• Jill was an ardent social justice activist throughout her life and believed in the power of direct action and protests. • Jill posted a picture later on social media of her arrest that noted, “There is a long history of peaceful civil rights activists that are arrested in protests that are considered illegal. I am proud to be arrested.”

This is NOT an example of Violent Extremism

In Nov 2018, Maria Garcia participated in anti- government protests. The protesters did not have a permit and were arrested by law enforcement. During the protest, a law enforcement officer suffered a heart attack and died shortly after being rushed to the emergency room.

This is NOT an example of Violent Extremism

“We will fight to…. Radicalization to violent extremism is the process by which individuals

come to believe violence is necessary and justified to achieve social and political change. Violence includes engagement in or facilitation of non-state violence.

There are a number of things that

can proceed radicalization. However every individual’s experience is unique. For some people it’s …at all costs – even extreme anger; hopelessness; or if it means engaging frustration about a situation that in violence.” leads them to believe that violence is necessary to achieve change. © WORDE Hypothetical Case Study on Economic Radicalization insecurity • John’s mother recently lost her job after her company decided to outsource their labor to emerging markets in South Asia. Struggling to make ends meet, he and his mother had to move into his grandmother’s Social house, which is in a different school district. Extreme alienation • Unable to make new friends, John is constantly Frustration; bullied in high school and on social media. helplessness • One day, while cleaning his room, his mother finds Intolerance stickers and pins that appear to support white nationalism along with a brass knuckle. A desire to create a • When she confronts John, he becomes agitated and claims, “Why did we have to move? We’d be better new / utopian society off if we wiped out all the immigrants from this place. where [a single Maybe you wouldn’t have lost your job then! You demographic e.g. don’t know what its like for me and how humiliating it race; ethnicity; is for me to explain my situation at school. At least these nationalists get it and are willing to take a stand religion; sect] is and protect our way of life from these foreigners.” dominant Acquiring • Two weeks later, the police arrest John at the mall, weapons after they find him yelling racial slurs while assaulting an Indian classmate. © WORDE Understanding Radicalization to Violent Extremism

• A number of violent extremist movements comprise the threat matrix. • Violent extremism is a problem that can affect any community • Individuals radicalize through different processes. There is no profile of a terrorist, or a single factor that determines what makes someone vulnerable. • Religiosity is not a proven indicator that someone may be at risk. • Many of the factors that influence radicalization are localized. Therefore push and pull factors differ from one region to the next. Push factors are the negative social, cultural and political features of one’s societal environment that aid in “pushing” vulnerable individuals towards violent extremism. Pull factors are the positive characteristics and benefits of an extremist organization that “pull” vulnerable individuals to join.

• “Terrorism” or “terrorists” are often used as colloquial labels by society. • The Patriot Act defines domestic terrorism as an attempt to: – Intimidate or coerce a civilian population; – Influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or – Affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping." • There is no federal charge linked to this definition. • The definition gives the Justice Department broad authority to investigate an individual or any group a suspect might be affiliated with. But the federal law doesn't come with an actual criminal charge. • Sometimes the nature of the charge drives public opinion. For example, when someone is charged with a hate crime, they may have caused terror – but the story is often then discussed through the prism of hate.

© WORDE • Many individuals like Dylann Roof, whom society would label as “terrorists” are not charged with terrorism. They are charged based on which jurisdiction (federal or state) carry the greatest punishment. • According to the Department of Justice: “States and the federal government have laws making certain acts illegal, and each jurisdiction is responsible for setting punishments for committing those crimes. A state may punish a certain crime more harshly than the federal government (or vice versa), but a defendant can be charged and convicted under both systems.” • In Roof’s case, the state charged him with murder charges, attempted murder charges, and one weapons charge. These charges carry life sentences. In addition, he was charged at the federal level with 33 counts of federal hate crimes resulting in death, obstruction of religion and firearms violations. These charges carry the death penalty. • An individual can only be charged with terrorism linked to a foreign terrorist organization – based on a list of nearly 60 groups that the State Department has identified. Some are well- known, including the Islamic State and al-Qaida, while others are far more obscure. Most, but not all, are Islamist. There is no official list of domestic terrorist organizations. • Remember: it is not a crime to belong to an extremist group in the United States. However, if an individual uses violence to advance the group’s ideology – then that case may come under investigation and prosecution. • The BOTTOM LINE? Given the complicated nature of these terms, it may be advisable for facilitators to focus the discussion on violent extremism more broadly, instead.

Additional sources: • https://www.npr.org/2017/10/02/555170250/what-is-and-isnt-considered-domestic- terrorism • http://harvardjol.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/54.1-HLL105.pdf POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT & VIOLENCE PREVENTION

Positive Youth Development aims to provide youth with effective relationships and diverse experiences which enable their development of intentional self-regulation and multiple positive assets.

What are the positive assets that youth will develop as part of of GCF?

Its important to • Increase knowledge and promote help-seeking awareness of destructive and behaviors, connect violent behaviors youth to trusted adults, and to foster access to • Increase help-seeking behaviors licensed clinical providers that can tap into interdisciplinary Become upstanders approaches that address • multiple factors that can impact an individual. • Decrease bystander effect

Risk Factors Protective Factors

Direct - predict a low probability of violence

Buffering - predict a Protective low probability of Factors violence in the presence of risk and often interact with risk factors

Violent extremists manipulate and exploit a number factors to recruit individuals including:

• Many push and pull factors that influence radicalization to violent extremism are the same factors that may influence one’s likelihood of engaging in violence or other destructive behaviors (e.g. eating disorders, gangs, drug abuse). • Violent extremist recruiters use many of the same tactics to gain new members – similar to how gangs or other forms of predators groom their victims. • The reasons for engaging in violence are complex and multifaceted. Some people engage in violence for protection or a sense of community. • Similar solutions apply to both issue sets: For example, positive youth programing, and connecting vulnerable individuals to counselors, mentors, etc.) are effective intervention options. • Education & awareness of threats is a core part of building resiliency but should be done in tandem with providing core services and addressing unmet needs.

Adaptive Learning – Knowledge to anticipate challenges – Unlearning maladaptive ways of coping – Learning and putting into practice adaptive ways of coping

– Conceptualizing and understanding the system – Viewing problems in context • Does not pathologize the individual • Is some aspect of the system in which they are embedded stuck? – Focusing on systemic change – Reframing symptoms as problem-solving attempts that make sense in context – Present oriented

• In what ways might problem or symptom represent a creative problem-solving effort or a way for the individual to hold on to a sense of stability? What strengths does it reveal? • What meaning does the problem have in the larger contexts of the extended family, neighborhood, racial or ethnic group, and community? • What meaning does the problem or symptom have in the social contexts of work, school, or social services? • If the symptom were to disappear, what else would have to change? • What does” seeking support” mean for the student or others in the students’ social system?

• Encourage conversations among youth • Create spaces for meaningful connections • Interactive curriculum (less “school-like”) • Relevance to current events and the everyday lives of youth – Incorporating cultural identity activities • Flexible sessions • Community approaches

Provide case management / improve address political grievances access to safety net services to alleviate socio-economic stressors Provide wrap-around services that are trauma-informed and culturally competent. Seek counseling that Connect to group therapy sessions may help address underlying psycho- that provide participants with coping social concerns and build up skills and help-seeking behaviors protective factors (e.g. provide anger management and goal setting skills.) Provide mentoring from a religious

scholar who can refute ideologies Provide access to social activities, that justify the use of violence after-school programs, and arts programs to foster community and a Participate in pro-social events that sense of identity counter intolerance and promote positive values such as inter-faith Work with school officials to identify inter-ethnic social cohesion school-based stressors

• Limited access to trusted adults, providers and other support services that can address underlying psychosocial conditions. • Logistical barriers to accessing support services (transportation, financial hardship, lack of time, etc.). • Limited cultural and/or linguistic competency of support services. • Lack of trust, mutual respect and collaboration when discussing sensitive topics with support personnel.

What a re ways in wh ich you as the facilitator can overcome these challenges?

The duty to warn arises when someone has communicated an explicit threat of imminent serious physical harm or death to a clearly identified or identifiable victim or victims, and they have the apparent intent and ability to carry out such a threat.

• What are some potential considerations when determining if there is a duty to warn in a particular case?

• What are some additional resources that you can consult when making this determination?

Having extreme or radical beliefs is protected under the US Constitution. However, supporting, facilitating engagement or directly engaging in violent activity is a crime.

• Exhibiting communication security techniques and tradecraft • Purchasing military style equipment • Seeking occupations with sensitive access (i.e. airport security, critical infrastructure/transportation, etc.) • Surveilling potential targets • Obtaining explosive precursors • Creating physical simulations for attack/assault planning purposes • Broadcasting intent (in person, online, etc.) • Preparing and disseminating a last will or martyrdom video or statement • Discussing operational security or ways to evade law enforcement • Acquiring weapons (guns, ammunition, incendiary devices) • Conducting internet research for target selection, acquiring technical capabilities, planning, and logistics • Deleting social media & online accounts to avoid tracking by law enforcement • Conducting suspicious financial transactions to support travel to conflict zones, or to acquire weapons, explosives, or precursors • Testing improvised explosive devices (IEDs) or other weapons 5 © WORDE CASE STUDIES Prevention & Intervention Approaches

17 Year Old White Male Alienation

Lack of Stable Environment Ideological Concerns

Economic Stressors

What strengths/ What potential risk resources and factors of VE most challenges does relate to Scott’s Scott have on an story? individual and environmental How could GCF help level? Scott? What else does he need?

2 © WORDE Omar

16 Year Old Iraqi Male Emotional Regulation

Target of Bullying Alienation

Symptoms of PTSD Diminishing School Performance

UsingWhat anstrengths/ ecological What potentialWhat potential risk framework,resources and what factors of VE most strengths/resourceschallenges does relate to Omar’s Scott’s andOmar challenges have on an does story? Omarindividual have and on an HowWhat would could GCF a help individualenvironmental and comprehensive Omar? What else environmentallevel? treatment plandoes he need? for level? Omar look like?

GLOBAL CITIZEN FORUM- BASELINE SURVEY

The Global Citizen’s Forum is a peer empowerment program that helps youth create positive change in their communities, and equips them to better handle today’s challenges through improved help seeking behaviours.

The following survey is designed to help evaluate and improve some aspect of the program. Your responses will be completely confidential and we will keep track of your responses only through the code number below. Please do not forget to fill out the code number section.

Please read the following questions and answer them as best as you can. Do not worry about what the right answer should be but rather make sure your answer reflects how you actually feel. The more honest you are, the more effectively we can improve our program.

You do not have to answer any question that you do not want to answer.

Thank you for participating in this survey and supporting this research! ***

DATE: ______NAME OF THE SCHOOL: ______

CODE NUMBER: Instead of your name, we are using this code number to track your survey data anonymously.

What is the SECOND LETTER of your FIRST NAME? (For example, “A” for SANDRA)

______

What are the LAST TWO DIGITS of your BIRTH YEAR? (For example, “03” for 2003)

______

What is the LAST LETTER of your LAST NAME? (For example, “R” for COOPER)

______

What are the TWO DIGITS of the DATE of your birth date? (For example, “21” for November 21st or “03” for November 3rd)

______

QUESTIONNAIRE

1. Which of the following are examples of violent extremism? □ The KKK (Ku Klux Klan) beats up non-White community members □ Someone who is strongly anti-government refuses to pay his taxes □ PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) leads a peaceful protest □ ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) kills people that do not want to join their cause □ An anti-abortion activist shoots an abortion doctor □ A man is shot during a burglary □ A classmate is beaten up because of their sexual orientation. 2. Which of the following is a correct statement about extremism? (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY) □ Extremist ideas must advocate for violence □ Extremists often hate other groups and blame them for social problems □ Extremists always post their views on social media □ Extremism is concerned with only religious issues □ Violent extremists often believe violence is necessary to achieve change □ People who criticize the government are violent extremists □ Most Muslims are violent extremists □ People often join extremist movements because if gives them a community to belong to 3. Which of the following are examples of radicalizing to violence? (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY) □ Becoming more religious □ Posing on social media that people with different beliefs should be killed □ Signing a petition to change certain laws □ Donating money to a known violent extremist group □ Posting messages about wanting to commit violence □ Raising awareness about racial injustice through art □ Participating in a non-violent protest against police brutality 4. There are no proven indicators that will let you know for sure if someone will turn to violent extremism. a. True b. False 5. All individuals who are radicalizing go through the same process. a. True b. False 6. Upstanders don’t take action when someone is engaging in dangerous behavior a. True b. False 7. Extremist groups often use social media to spread hate messages a. True b. False 8. Saying mean things about somebody’s outfit on social media is hate speech a. True b. False 9. Violent extremists often use similar grooming tactics as sexual predators a. True b. False Please rate your agreement with the following statements on a Strongly Neither Agree Strongly scale from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 5 (Strongly agree) with 3 Disagree Agree Disagree nor Disagree Agree being neutral. Circle ONE number for each. 10. If a friend says they are interested in joining a violent 1 2 3 4 5 extremist movement, there is little I can do to help

11. If someone contemplating violent extremism does not 1 2 3 4 5 seek help, you should seek help for them

12. Only family members can help someone who is at risk 1 2 3 4 5 of radicalizing to violent extremism

13. I can contribute to preventing violent extremism 1 2 3 4 5

14. I have enough training to help friends contemplating 1 2 3 4 5 violence find a peaceful solution

15. I feel comfortable discussing extremism with my 1 2 3 4 5 friends

16. I feel comfortable discussing violence with my friends 1 2 3 4 5

17. It is important to notify trusted adults or local help 1 2 3 4 5 resources about concerning violent extremist situations

18. If a friend is talking about their plan to physically hurt someone else, but you aren’t sure if they are serious, 1 2 3 4 5 you should still tell a trusted adult.

19. Seeking help for a friend who might be at risk of 1 2 3 4 5 violent extremism will make things worse

20. Seeking help for a friend who might be at risk of 1 2 3 4 5 violent extremism will put me at risk

21. Seeking help for a friend who might be at risk of violent extremism will help that friend get the support 1 2 3 4 5 they need

22. Seeking help for a friend who is at risk of violent 1 2 3 4 5 extremism will make my community safer

23. Extreme beliefs are a problem in my community 1 2 3 4 5

24. Violent extremism is a problem in my community 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly Neither Agree Strongly Disagree Agree Disagree nor Disagree Agree

25. I know local resources I can turn to if someone is in 1 2 3 4 5 crisis

26. I cannot understand why someone would engage in 1 2 3 4 5 violent extremism

27. This question is for control purposes. If you read this, 1 2 3 4 5 please leave the question blank

28. Even though people may be different from one another, they can still be a part of the same 1 2 3 4 5 community.

29. We can disagree but we should respect everyone’s 1 2 3 4 5 opinions

30. I know when my friends have crossed the line between 1 2 3 4 5 extremist beliefs and violent extremist behavior

31. I know what to do when my friends have crossed the line between extremist beliefs and violent extremist 1 2 3 4 5 behavior

32. I know people in my community (e.g., school, 1 2 3 4 5 neighbourhood) who are advocating violent extremism

33. Thinking about people in your life, who would you turn to first if you believed a friend was considering violent extremism? Rank your top 3 from the list below with 1 being the most trusted person you would go to first. Rank ONLY three. ____Parent ____Other adult relative (e.g. grandparents, aunt or uncle) ____Teacher ____Co-worker ____Counselor ____Police Officer ____School resource officer/Security guard ____Faith or religious leader ____Coach or other after school leader ____Neighbor ____Friend ____Social media (posting to a broad group of people) ____Other: ______

Imagine you have a friend who is engaged in activities showing potential involvement in violent extremism. Rate how likely you would Very Neutral/ Very Unlikely Likely be to do the following on a scale from 1 (very unlikely) to 5 (very likely) Unlikely Unsure Likely with 3 being neutral or unsure. Circle ONE number for each.

34. Talk to them about their desire to engage in violent 1 2 3 4 5 extremism

35. Get more information about their intentions or plans 1 2 3 4 5

36. Encourage them to get help 1 2 3 4 5

37. Call a crisis line (police non-emergency number, etc.) 1 2 3 4 5

38. Go with them to get help (counselor, teacher, etc.) 1 2 3 4 5

39. Talk to a trusted adult about this situation 1 2 3 4 5

40. Is there anything that would prevent you from referring students to the resources in your school or community?

□ No □ Yes…if yes, what? ______

Read the following behaviors and rate on a scale from 1 (very unlikely) Very Neutral/ Very to 5 (very likely) with 3 being neutral or unsure how likely you are to Unlikely Likely Unlikely Unsure Likely seek help if someone does the following. Circle ONE number for each.

41. Criticizes the US government 1 2 3 4 5

42. Verbally supports the actions of a terrorist group 1 2 3 4 5

43. Is friendly with self-proclaimed members of a violent 1 2 3 4 5 extremist group on social media

44. Plays violent video games 1 2 3 4 5

45. Hands out fliers after school that say abortion is murder 1 2 3 4 5

46. Starts a club at school for people to discuss social justice 1 2 3 4 5 issues

47. This question is for control purposes. If you read this, please 1 2 3 4 5 leave the question blank Very Neutral/ Very Unlikely Likely Unlikely Unsure Likely

48. Donates money to a known terrorist organization 1 2 3 4 5

49. Goes to Mosque several times a week 1 2 3 4 5

50. Starts a Christian student group advocating for mandatory 1 2 3 4 5 prayers in their school

51. Says some races don’t deserve equal treatment 1 2 3 4 5

52. Thinks immigrants shouldn’t be allowed into the United 1 2 3 4 5 States

In the following scenarios, how likely would you be to intervene and help Very Very someone get assistance? Rate on a scale from 1 (very unlikely) to 5 (very Low Medium High Low High likely) with 3 being neutral or unsure.

53. Someone who was once popular and outgoing is suddenly quiet 1 2 3 4 5 and withdrawn in class

54. Someone has been repeatedly bullied 1 2 3 4 5

55. Someone is repeatedly picking fights and threatening others 1 2 3 4 5

56. Someone frequently posts on social media that violence is the 1 2 3 4 5 only way to achieve a just society

57. Someone jokes about bringing a gun to school to shoot people 1 2 3 4 5

Rate your level of knowledge about the following issues on a scale from 1 Very Very (very low) to 5 (very high) with 3 being medium. Circle ONE number for Low Medium High Low High each.

58. Facts about violent extremism 1 2 3 4 5

59. Types of violent extremist groups 1 2 3 4 5

60. Behaviors associated with radicalization to violence 1 2 3 4 5

61. How to get help for a friend or peer who may be radicalizing to 1 2 3 4 5 violence

62. Local help resources available for violent extremism 1 2 3 4 5

DEMOGRAPHICS

63. What is your age? ______64. What is your gender? a. Male b. Female c. Other 65. What grade are you in? a. 9th b. 10th c. 11th d. 12th e. Other 66. Please specify your ethnicity. a. White b. Hispanic or Latino c. Black or African American d. Asian / Pacific Islander e. Other 67. Were you born in the United States? a. Yes b. No c. Prefer not to answer 68. Were any of your parents born outside of the United States? (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY) a. Yes b. No c. I don’t Know d. Prefer not to answer 69. Do you participate in organized activities during your free time (sports, music, faith group, etc.)? a. Yes b. No 70. Are you currently employed? a. Yes b. No 71. Have you had peer mentoring training before? a. Yes b. No c. Not sure 72. This question is for control purposes. If you read this, please leave the question blank. a. Yes b. No c. Not sure 73. Have you participated in a program to better understand violent extremism before? a. Yes b. No c. Not sure 74. Have you ever talked to or sought help for a friend who may be radicalizing or involved with violent extremism? a. Yes, once b. Yes, multiple times c. No, I had such a friend but did not get involved d. No, I have never had such a friend 75. Which of the following best describes your household? a. I live in a single household with both of my biological parents b. My parents are separated/divorced and I live with one of my biological parents c. I live with one of my biological parents and a step parent d. I live with a family member other than my parents e. Other

Please rate your agreement with the following statements on a Strongly Neither Agree Strongly scale from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 5 (Strongly agree) with 3 Disagree Agree Disagree nor Disagree Agree being neutral. Circle ONE number for each. 76. People talk to me about their thoughts and feelings 1 2 3 4 5

77. People come to me for advice 1 2 3 4 5

78. I enjoy helping when people come to me with 1 2 3 4 5 personal problems

THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING IN THIS SURVEY!

GLOBAL CITIZEN FORUM- ENDLINE SURVEY

You do not have to answer any question that you do not want to answer.

Thank you for participating in this survey and supporting this research! ***

DATE: ______NAME OF THE SCHOOL: ______

CODE NUMBER: Instead of your name, we are using this code number to track your survey data anonymously.

What is the SECOND LETTER of your FIRST NAME? (For example, “A” for SANDRA)

______

What are the LAST TWO DIGITS of your BIRTH YEAR? (For example, “03” for 2003)

______

What is the LAST LETTER of your LAST NAME? (For example, “R” for COOPER)

______

What are the TWO DIGITS of the DATE of your birth date? (For example, “21” for November 21st or “03” for November 3rd)

______

QUESTIONNAIRE

1. Which of the following are examples of violent extremism? □ The KKK (Ku Klux Klan) beats up non-White community members □ Someone who is strongly anti-government refuses to pay his taxes □ PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) leads a peaceful protest □ ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) kills people that do not want to join their cause □ An anti-abortion activist shoots an abortion doctor □ A man is shot during a burglary □ A classmate is beaten up because of their sexual orientation. 2. Which of the following is a correct statement about extremism? (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY) □ Extremist ideas must advocate for violence □ Extremists often hate other groups and blame them for social problems □ Extremists always post their views on social media □ Extremism is concerned with only religious issues □ Violent extremists often believe violence is necessary to achieve change □ People who criticize the government are violent extremists □ Most Muslims are violent extremists □ People often join extremist movements because if gives them a community to belong to 3. Which of the following are examples of radicalizing to violence? (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY) o Becoming more religious o Posing on social media that people with different beliefs should be killed o Signing a petition to change certain laws o Donating money to a known violent extremist group o Posting messages about wanting to commit violence o Raising awareness about racial injustice through art o Participating in a non-violent protest against police brutality 4. There are no proven indicators that will let you know for sure if someone will turn to violent extremism. a. True b. False 5. All individuals who are radicalizing go through the same process. a. True b. False 6. Upstanders don’t take action when someone is engaging in dangerous behavior a. True b. False 7. Extremist groups often use social media to spread hate messages a. True b. False 8. Saying mean things about somebody’s outfit on social media is hate speech a. True b. False 9. Violent extremists often use similar grooming tactics as sexual predators a. True b. False Please rate your agreement with the following statements on a Strongly Neither Agree Strongly scale from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 5 (Strongly agree) with 3 Disagree Agree Disagree nor Disagree Agree being neutral. Circle ONE number for each. 10. If a friend says they are interested in joining a violent 1 2 3 4 5 extremist movement, there is little I can do to help